Two Perspectives, One Shared Life
by johnsonmiranda70
Summary: Byakuya Kuchiki and Minata Fukudome have been best friends since they were little kids. They both share similar lives as members of two of the Four Great Noble Families of Soul Society. Now join them and their Zanpakutou as they go through the Bleach series, one event after another. The fillers are included. First chapter is now up. Please review :)
1. The News

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach. The Zanpakutou spirits will be in their humanoid forms throughout the story. This story will start from way in the beginning of the Bleach series, even though this will be a Byakuya/OC story. Half of each chapter will be from the OC's point of view and the other will be from Byakuya's. For now. Please enjoy!

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**New Characters Introduced**

1. Minata Fukudome: Third seat of the First Division. She is the granddaughter and the second in line for the head of the Fukudome Clan, one of the four great noble clans of Soul Society, and known for their bestial forms (half human/ half beast), which are sealed with amulets and their different colored eyes. She has been Byakuya's best friend since they were little kids and always sticks by him. Her Zanpakutou is Mizukiri.

2. Mizukiri: Is Minata Fukudome's Zanpakutou. Her name means water mist (Mizu-water, kiri-mist). She is an element-type sword, which means she can shift her weapon form with each element she uses. She is close with many of the Zanpakutou spirits, especially Senbonzakura, Sode no Shirayuki, and Hyorinmaru.

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**Chapter 1**: The News

_Minata's POV_

"I will tell them right away, Captain Commander." I say after he finishes telling me his news from the Living World.

"Good. Now go at once, my dear, or else you'll miss the division's afternoon tea." says my captain commander in his old, gruff voice.

"Yes sir." I said with a little bit of determination in my voice. I exit his office and start to walk through the pristine hallways of the first division. Lieutenant Sasakibe always had a thing for tidiness.

I acknowledge my fellow shinigami as I walk toward my office at the end of the hallway. As I open my door, I quickly was hit with the smell of the ocean coming from within.

I walk inside to see my Zanpakutou, Mizukiri, reading a poetry book from the Living World. Senbonzakura always picked her up a new book whenever he was sent on a mission to the Living World with his master Byakuya Kuchiki, the captain of the Sixth Division.

"Mizukiri?" I question as I walk to my clean desk.

"Yes master?" she questions back as she raised her head from the novel. Her sea blue eyes observe me with a look of concern.

"I need you to look over my work for a while. I have to deliver a message to the Sixth Division captain and his lieutenant." I say as I organize a stack of paperwork lying on my desk.

"Is it about Rukia-san?" she asks as she gets up from her seat from the windowsill and walks over to my desk.

It takes me a while to answer. "Yes." I say flatly.

"I understand." she responds in return. She takes a seat at my desk and starts to read the paperwork.

I leave my office and walk swiftly to the front door of the division office. I immediately use my flash step as soon as I walk out the gate. As I travel over the various feudal-designed buildings, I feel the breeze hit my bare shoulders. After my time in the 9th Division, I never got used to wearing my shinigami robes with the sleeves, so I have been wearing the sleeveless ones I own to this day. I was at the Sixth Division in a matter of minutes.

"Hey Fukudome!" says Byakuya's lieutenant, Renji Abarai in his loud voice as he walks up to me. His Zanpakutou spirits, Chimpette and Snakey, who together make up the Zanpakutou Zabimaru, were following close behind him.

"Hello Abarai." I say in a remorseful voice. "Is your captain in?"

"Yep, he just got in from the Living World about two hours ago. Here to drop off some paperwork for him?" he asks quizzically.

"Not exactly." I answer him. "I'm here with some news, urgent news." I say while giving him a stoic look.

"I see." He said as his eyebrows furrowed. "Follow me."

He turned to his Zanpakutou. "Chimpette and Snakey, you two stay here and finish patrol."

"Right." responds the woman in green fur. The little boy with the snake tail that was always chained at her side nodded his head.

I walk behind Abarai as he led me to his captain's office in the back of the division headquarters, acknowledging the shinigami along the way. The Sixth is known in the Soul Society as one of the strictest divisions in the land, since Byakuya is known for having his men uphold the rules at all times. How Renji survived this long as his lieutenant for so long is still a mystery to me.

We stop at Byakuya's office door at the end of the long hallway, which was decorated with photos of notable members of the Sixth Division, including Byakuya's grandfather, the former head of the Sixth, Ginrei Kuchiki, and his father, Sōjun Kuchiki, who was Ginrei's lieutenant.

"Captain!" Renji yells as he knocks very loudly on Byakuya's door. "You have a visitor!"

"Who is the visitor?" his captain asks from behind the door.

"Minata Fukudome is here from first division. She's here with some urgent news." answers Renji.

"You may come in." answers Byakuya with finality that only a noble can muster.

Renji took hold of the doorknob and turns it, opening the door for us to enter the room. He moved out of the way so that I could enter first. Soon enough, I was face to face with my best friend.

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_Byakuya's POV_

I continued my paperwork with Senbonzakura standing at my side when my lieutenant and the first division's third seat walked into my office. After signing on the dotted line of my last document, I placed it on top of the finished stack of paperwork and looked up to see my best friend's stoic face.

"Lady Fukudome, what is your news?" I ask in my most impassive tone.

"First division has finally gotten word of the whereabouts of Rukia Kuchiki." she says with not a hint of emotion in her voice.

I feel like a large weight has finally been lifted from my shoulders, now knowing that my sister is alive.

"WHAT?" Renji exclaims as he gave Minata an exasperated look.

"Abarai, control yourself." I say with a stoic look to match.

"Sorry captain." he answers in return as his face goes back into a neutral expression.

"Please continue, Lady Fukudome." I signal her with a wave of my hand.

She nodded and started to speak the details of her news.

"Onmitsukudō members stationed in Karakura Town have located Rukia living in an upstairs apartment of a doctor's clinic."

She stops speaking as a troubled look etches itself onto her facial features.

"Go on, Fukudome-san." I say as I urge her on to speak her news. I notice Renji give her a beady look, his impatience starting to show itself across his facial features.

"The Onmitsukudō reports that they cannot sense a hint of Rukia's spiritual pressure, even though that say she is alive and well."

I breathe a sigh of relief as I hear that my sister's health is good, but then a puzzling thought creeps into my subconscious.

"She is alive and well, but they cannot sense her spiritual pressure?" I ask.

"Indeed." she responds instantly.

"How the hell is that even possible?" asks Renji as he breaks the short-lived silence.

"Renji!" I raise my voice just a tad and give him a stern look in reprimand.

He gives off a stunned look, before looking apologetic. "Sorry captain. Sorry Minata, you may continue."

"Thank you, and to answer your question, Lieutenant Abarai, the answer is quite simple. She transferred her powers to someone else."

My eyes widened as the sentence sunk in. Renji was too busy doing what appears to be a face palm to notice the sudden change of emotion in my face.

"Master?" asks Senbonzakura in concern.

"I'm fine." I answer my zanpakutou. I turn to my childhood friend. "Who did she transfer her powers too?"

"She transferred her powers to a human boy named Ichigo Kurosaki, who already has the ability to see ghosts and hollows."

"I see." I respond flatly as I start to think of ways to kill and torture this Kurosaki person for taking my sister's powers.

"Captain Kuchiki?"

"Yes?" I respond as my friend interrupts my thoughts.

"The Omnitsukudō report that Rukia-san's powers were not forcibly taken away. "

"What do you mean?" asks Renji as he finally removes his face from the floor.

"I mean Rukia's powers weren't taken by force. She willingly gave them up." responds Minata.

I swear it became so quiet in my office that I could easily hear that barbarian's Kenpachi's hair bells whistle in the wind all the way at the 11th division barracks.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY?!" asks Renji as his emotions finally imploded on him.

"Renji, leave my office." I said flatly in my coldest tone of voice.

Renji stopped himself in time to hear what I commanded him to do. He gave me another one of his apologetic looks before he sulkily left my room. I turn my attention back on Minata, who to, was watching the door.

"I'm sorry about my lieutenant's actions, Fukudome-san. He will be severely reprimanded the next time I see him. Please continue." I say with a slight hint of sincerity in my voice that only she could detect.

"All I have left to say is that you and Lieutenant Abarai will go to the Living World to retrieve Rukia-san and bring her back here to stand trial for her actions, as commanded by Captain-Commander. And if anyone stands in your way, you have permission to do anything you want." she says as the emotion starts to return to her purple eyes. How they ended up the color of amethysts is still a perplexing mystery to me since her father had slate gray ones like myself and her mother had dull orange ones. Her family's genetics are a tad weird if you ask me.

"We will leave tonight." I say in my usual stoic tone.

"I'll report back to my captain then." she says to me with a slight bow. I stand up and return the gesture.

"Please, have my lieutenant return to my office on your way out, Minata-san."

"Understood Byakuya-san." she responds as she walks out the door. She is probably only one of a few people I allow to call my name without my title.

"Master, this whole situation with Rukia-san and her losing her powers does not add up to me."

I turn to my zanpakutou to address him.

"It is not the time to make sense of trivial matters, Senbonzakura. We have been given a mission from the Captain-Commander and it is our job to carry it out."

"I understand master, but she's your sister and we both know what the punishment is if a shinigami gives away their powers." responds Senbonzakura as he walks to my side.

I look down on the floor, thinking quite well what the punishment is for said crime; death.

Fifty years ago, I promised my late wife Hisana that I would find her sister, protect her, and accept her as my new sister. Now that I have learned of Rukia's crime and the severity of its punishment, my duty to my late wife and my duties as a shinigami of the Gotei 13 have reached a crossroad. A crossroad that I wish to not think about.

"Nevertheless Senbonzakura, we have mission to complete, family or no family." I say as I lift my head up to look at him.

"I understand." the samurai lowers his head to the floor.

"Captain?" calls my lieutenant from the doorway, the monkey woman and the snake boy right behind him.

"Get ready Renji. We leave for Karakura Town in one hour."

"Yes sir! Chimpette and Snakey, let's get our things." he says as he turns to his two-part Zanpakutou.

"Yes sir, Mr. Pineapple, sir!" they said in unison as they saluted him like cadets would to their commanding officer.

"Okay, one: stop acting like you're in the army. And two: don't call me a pineapple." exclaims Renji.

"Your hair says otherwise." says Senbonzakura from out of the blue.

The monkey woman and snake boy laugh like children as a horrified expression appears on Renji's face, as he realizes where that remark came from. And I start to feel the beginning of nagging headache in my brain.

"Enough of this nonsense. Go and get ready for the Living World." I exclaim without raising my voice.

As my vice-captain and his zanpakutou turn to leave, I turn to Senbonzakura. "Sometimes I wonder why I chose Renji to be my lieutenant."

"It's because he was highly recommended by his former division." he answers me bluntly.

"I was being sarcastic." I bluntly returned.

"Oh." is all that he says as we walk down the division hallway.

One thing that I still retain in my mind is the fact that Rukia willingly gave away her powers to a boy named Ichigo Kurosaki. Not only do I plan to bring Rukia back to the Soul Society to stand trial, I am going to find Ichigo Kurosaki.

Find him, and end him.

End of chapter 1

**A/N: What do you guys think? I want to know. Please review! I appreciate the constructive criticism.**


	2. Worry for a Friend

Chapter 2: Worry for a Friend

_Minata's POV_

I walk home to the Kuchiki Manor with Mizukiri by my side after a whole day of errands and paperwork for First Division. It's clear weather wise as the sun begins to set in the west. My thoughts are somewhere else as I look ahead at the street before me.

"Master, are you all right?" my zanpakutou asks me as we near the manor.

"I'm fine. I'm just concerned about Byakuya that's all." I tell her as we stop in front of the doors to the manor's gate, the Kuchiki seal shining in the fading sunlight.

"Captain Kuchiki is a wise nobleman and captain. I'm sure he'll get through this." said Mizukiri as the family guards open the doors for us as we walk inside.

"You may be right, Mizukiri, but something still doesn't sit well with me." I say as we walk through the Kuchiki gardens to the main house.

"Explain to me again why you live here with Byakuya instead of with your grandmother and aunt back at the Fukudome mansion?" asks Mizukiri as we walk onto the main house's porch.

I stop in front of the main door to take off my heeled sandals. I never liked the official shinigami footwear to begin with, so I decided to wear heeled sandals to work. Nobody minded, even Captain Commander.

"It's quite simple Kiri." I say while using my pet name for her. "Both mine and Byakuya's parents died around the same time period. Both Byakuya and I were absolutely devastated when we heard the news. My grandmother Miko and Byakuya's grandfather Ginrei thought it would be best if Byakuya and I stayed close to each other to help each other get out of our depressions."

"And it worked?" asked Mizukiri with a smirk.

"It definitely worked." I answer. "My grandmother had me move here to the Kuchiki manor a week after our parents' deaths. In time, we were both back to our regular selves. The thing is, neither of us wanted me to leave once everything was back to normal."

"Really?" asks Mizukiri.

"Yes. I just got used to being here so much, I never left. Apparently, Byakuya doesn't mind. And neither does Senbonzakura, if you know what I mean." I say as I put on my slippers and walk inside of the mansion.

"I have no idea what you mean whatsoever." says my zanpakutou bluntly as we walk to my room.

"Hmm, you will eventually." I say as I slide open my bedroom door.

We walk inside the dimly lit room we share. Mizukiri instantly goes to the bookcase and switches out her poetry books. On the other hand, I walk over to the vanity and sit in the chair in front of it. As part of my normal routine, I take my crown off after a hard day's work.

All members of the Fukudome Clan wear headpieces similar to the Kuchiki's Kenseikans. The thing is, we aren't that restrictive like the Kuchikis. All members have a choice on what kind of headpiece they want to signify their membership as a part of the clan, but there are two rules to this tradition. The first rule is that all headpieces must be black. The second is that the headpieces must incorporate a jewel that is the same color as the wearer's eyes.

When it came to picking out my headpiece, I was inspired by the royalty during the times of medieval Europe. That's why my crown only covers the center of my head, similar to a faux-hawk I believe.

I pick up my brush and start to rake it through my long, black, curly hair. For some reason, I'm the only one in my entire clan with curly hair.

"Someone's coming." says Mizukiri as she looks up from her poetry book.

I look up to see a shadowy figure behind the door.

"You may come in Ginrei. You don't need to knock." I say as I put down my brush.

He opens the door to reveal himself, in all his stoic glory.

"You, my dear, have great intuition." he tells me as he enters my bed chamber.

"You can blame Mizukiri for giving you away." I say as I turn to face him.

"Technically, as a part of your soul, you are actually the one to have the blame pinned on." he says as he gives me a knowing look.

"Touché" I return back with a smirk.

"Minata, where is my grandson?" he suddenly asks me. "We're supposed to have our weekly tea together today."

"He's off on a mission to the Living World with his lieutenant. He won't be back till later tonight." I tell him.

"It's about Rukia isn't it?" he asks me with concern in his eyes.

"Yes." I say flatly.

"I see." he says as he rubs his moustache with his fingers. "Would you mind joining me for tea in his place? I would like the company."

"Sure thing Ginrei." I say as I stand up.

"Hmm. You have known me since Byakuya and you were little kids. When are you finally going to call me grandfather?"

"I'm sorry. Let me correct myself. I'd love to join you for tea grandfather."

"That's the spirit." he says with a smirk as he turns to walk out the door. "Come along now Mina."

I start to follow him until something grabs my attention. I turn my head to see Mizukiri engrossed in her poetry.

"Aren't you coming Mizukiri?" I ask her.

"I'll sit this one out. You go on ahead." she says without lifting her head from her book.

"Suit yourself." I shrug at her as I turn to leave the room.

I start to follow Ginrei to the tea room, when an unsettling thought creeps back into my brain. I look up at the faintly lit sky.

"_Byakuya, how are you dealing with this?"_

_Byakuya's POV_

Karakura Town

This town is home to the ignoramus Ichigo Kurosaki, who calls himself a Substitute Shinigami.

As if I would acknowledge that.

As we flash step over the silent buildings of Karakura Town, I turn to my lieutenant.

"How far are we to their location?" I ask him.

Renji looks down at the device that connects us with the Soul Society. The people today would call it a cell phone.

"We're only five minutes away captain." he says as he looks at me. I can see the slight remorse in his eyes.

I already know that Renji and Rukia were close friends since they were young. They had grown up in the Rukongai and attended the Shinigami Academy together. As her closest friend, of course it was going to be hard for him.

"Renji, are you going to have your emotions cloud your judgment?" I ask him as we near closer to the clinic.

"No sir!" he tells me immediately with a hint of defiance in his voice.

I turn my head back forward settling for his answer.

As we flash step with our zanpakutou at our side, a sudden pinging noise fills the atmosphere. I turn my head to see that the annoying noise comes from the device.

"Renji?" I question him.

"Rukia's signal is moving." he says with surprise evident in his face. It soon turns into a scowl. "All the more easier to catch and arrest her."

I nod my head in agreement.

"I think it's time you and your sister have a little family reunion." says Senbonzakura as we stop on the rooftop of an office building.

I nod and turn my attention to my lieutenant and his Zabimaru.

"Let's go."

"Right." they chorus in unison as we all flash step to my sister's current location.

We stop at the rooftop of a small residence on the side of a wide road, empty of cars and people.

"Renji?" I question him again as I view our current surroundings.

"She should be making her way around her at any moment." he says as he puts the communication device away in his robe.

We wait in silence for a few mere moments until we hear the slapping sound of feet on the pavement. I turn to the left to see Rukia in a casual dress running down the street, a backpack draped across her back.

"Long time, no see Rukia." says my lieutenant in his loud voice.

His voice stops here immediately dead in her tracks. She looks up to see us on top of the roof, and her eyes widen in surprise. Or horror.

Renji leaps down off of the building to the ground, followed by his Zanpakutou. Senbonzakura and I follow after him.

"Renji? Brother?" she says. Surprise the dominant emotion in her voice.

"Rukia." I say as she acknowledges our presence.

"What? No hello?" asks the snake boy. Snakey is his name I believe.

"We're not here for casual chit chat, Snakey. We've got a job to do." says the chimp woman. Chimpette I believe.

"I know why you two are here." says Rukia as she changes her stance to a defensive position.

"Then you know you're not going to win this fight since you gave all your powers to that Kurosaki guy." returns Renji as he places his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Renji I-"she says, but quickly cuts off her sentence to look to our right. Renji looks too and barely steps out of the way of a blue arrow coming in his direction.

"What the Hell was that?" he asks in his surprise as he looks onto the street from on top of the rooftop we were previously standing on.

"That would be from me, Shinigami."says a male voice.

We all look across the street to see a teenage boy in white clothes and glasses holding a blue bow made of spiritual energy.

"Uryu!" yells Rukia.

"A Quincy?" asks Senbonzakura at my side. "I thought they all died out."

"A few still remain here in the Living World." I answer him without turning my head away from the teenage Quincy.

"Let me handle him Captain!" yells Renji from the rooftop. He turns to his Zanpakutou. "Let's go!"

"Right!" they answer him back.

The chimp woman and the snake boy glow red and soon return to their sword form.

I bear witness to Renji leaping off the building while unsheathing his sword.

"Howl, Zabimaru!" he yells as his sword transforms into its whip like Shikai form.

"Run Uryu! You can't fight him!" my sister yells at the raven haired teen, but to no avail. The teen does not run.

The teen raises his bow and fires a thousand arrows at my lieutenant, which Renji narrowly dodges.

"Shit!" yells Renji as he lands on the ground.

The Quincy boy fires another round at Renji, but Renji seems to have figured out what he was planning. He flash steps out of the way and soon appears behind the teenager's back.

"Oh no!" the boy known as Uryu yells as he turns around, but it is already too late as Renji deals him the devastating blow.

The boy coughs up blood as the crimson substance splatters itself across the pavement. The boy falls to his knees before fully collapsing onto the pavement into his own pool of blood.

"One down and-"

"Rukia! Uryu!" yells a new voice from the distance as it cuts into Renji's sentence.

"Damn! Who the hell could that be?" asks Abarai as he turns to the direction Rukia ran from.

As we all look down the street, a new form appears from the shadows. He is wearing the standard shinigami attire, but there are two things about him that strikes me as surprising. The first is his large zanpakutou. The second is his bright orange hair.

'Ichigo!" yells Rukia as she recognizes him.

"Ichigo?" asks my lieutenant as he continues to observe the orange haired teen.

"Yeah, my name is Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki. You've got a problem with that?" he asks with a stubborn disposition.

Ichigo Kurosaki is the boy who Rukia willingly gave up her powers to. The boy who has been running around Karakura Town destroying Hollows at every turn. The boy who calls himself a Substitue Shinigami.

Of course I have a problem with that.

End of chapter 2

**A/N: Please read, review, and vote on my poll. BTW, Ginrei Kuchiki will probably be a constant figure in the story.**


	3. A Friendly Conversation

Chapter 3: A Friendly Conversation

_Byakuya's POV_

The Kuchiki Manor, home of 27 past generations of Kuchikis. This home holds many memories of love, life, loyalty, and achievement. As the 28th head of the Kuchiki Clan, it's my duty to protect it and look out for its well-being. I have been through immense training throughout my whole life and it's an honor to be the clan leader. It's a hard task to do, but it's my birthright as a member of the Kuchiki Clan to do my duty for the sake of this family.

It's currently early in the morning, 3 a.m. to be exact, as Senbonzakura and I walk through one of the many hallways of the manor to the tea room after our mission in the Living World. After the eventful night we had, I'm not in the mood for sleep.

As we walk closer to the tea room, I notice that a dim candle is illuminating the room. A shadow is standing near it. The shadow turns, revealing the movement of its curly hair.

"Master?" asks Senbonzakura.

"Go on to bed, Senbonzakura. I'll sleep a little later." I respond.

"Very well." answers Senbonzakura. He does a short bow before walking east to our quarters.

I walk towards the tea room door and slide it open. Within the chamber, I see Minata sipping a cup of ginseng tea, her favorite one.

"Good morning Byakuya." she tells me as she look in my direction.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" I ask her.

"I have weird sleeping habits, you of all people should know that." she tells me flatly.

"You are right, my apologies." I answer in return as I take a seat opposite from her.

"Would you like some tea?" she asks me as she waves her hand at the kettle, warm air flowing out of its spigot.

"Cherry blossom, if you may." I say, a new thirst starting to grow in my throat.

I watch as Minata throws a few cherry blossom petals into the kettle and places it on the fire. We wait in silence as the mixture brews inside the small pot. As Minata pours my cup of tea, a sudden urge to say my troubling thoughts starts to grow within me; a feeling of regret starts to wash over my subconciousness.

"Your grandfather missed you this afternoon." says Minata as she hands me my cup of tea.

"Really?" I ask her utterly confused about what she is talking about.

"Yes, you were supposed to have your afternoon tea with him yesterday, remember?" she asks me with a curious stare.

"Oh sorry; I completely forgot about that." I inwardly curse myself for forgetting the one occasion I share with my grandfather each week.

"He doesn't mind considering the mission you were sent on. I do not blame you for forgetting. You must have a lot on your mind." says Minata as she takes a sip of her tea.

"You have no idea." I say flatly as I stare at my tea.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asks. I look up to see the sincerity in her amethyst-colored eyes.

"Where should I start?" I ask her. I let my confusion show in my voice.

"How about you start by telling me about your mission, Byakuya; what happened?" I look into my friend's eyes and I see a hint of pleading within them. I sigh and concede to my friend's wish.

"Okay, I'll tell you, Minata. I'll tell you the whole story."

_Flashback_

"Yeah, my name is Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki. You've got a problem with that." the orange-haired teenager responds with a stubborn disposition.

I notice that Renji's expression turns from annoyance to full on rage. He turns to the teen.

"A problem? Of course I got a problem with that. You're the one that took Rukia's powers!"

My lieutenant lunges forward, zanpakutou in hand, ready to strike the "substitute shinigami". The teen instinctively deflects the attack and moves out the way to counter. Renji easily blocks the hit and tries to strike again, but the teen deflects it as well.

"The orange-haired boy seems to be similar in power to Abarai and with that large zanpakutou he wields he must possess a large amount of spiritual energy." comments Senbonzakura.

"That may be so, but it appears he still has a lot to learn." I say as I witness Renji's glasses break apart, revealing a bloody gash on his forehead.

"Master?" says Senbonzakura, but I barely hear him as I snap the ryoka boy's zanpakutou with my bare hands as he prepares to land the final blow on my lieutenant.

"What the?" the boy asks as I strike him in the chest, giving him a serious wound.

"Master?" questions Senbonzakura as he appears at my side again. I look at Renji, who has a stunned expression on his face.

"Is there something wrong?" I ask my lieutenant as he stands up.

"No, nothing is wrong captain. You didn't need to trouble yourself with this misfit. I could have handled him by myself."

"Of course you could." I say as I give him my signature stare. I start to turn around until I notice my sister run to the ryoka boy's side.

"After all that has happened just now, you still run to his side?" I ask.

Stunned by my question, she turns to me in silence. I do not wait for her to respond.

"It's understandable since he looks similar to your old teacher."

I am about to say more when I feel a tug at my clothing. Without looking down I know that the ryoka boy wasn't done yet.

"Let go." I say in my coldest tone without looking at him.

"You should look at the people you're talking to." he spits out in defiance. That's when he gives me a look of surprise as his hand is knocked away from my clothes by my own sister.

"You don't know how to give up, do you Ichigo?" she asks him, giving him her coldest stare.

"Rukia?" he asks in surprise.

"Just stand down." she says as she turns to me.

"I'm ready to go brother, but I ask you only one thing in return."

The ryoka boy's eyes widen at this sudden development. I nod in answer.

"Spare Ichigo's life." she says as she looks me in the eye.

An internal conflict erupts within me when I hear this. On one side, I want to kill this Ichigo for taking my sister's powers and use them for his own purposes. On the other hand, I see the sadness in her eyes; the pleading look of someone who doesn't want this boy to die. I look at the boy again and conclude that the wound I dealt him will suffice.

"Very well then. Renji, open the Senkaimon. It's time to go." I say as I look away from my sister. "Besides, thanks to the wound I dealt him, he should die within a half hour. If he survives, then his shinigami powers will be gone."

Renji opens the Senkaimon and his zanpakutou returns to their humanoid forms. The three of them walk into the Senkaimon. Senbonzakura soon follows them.

"Let's go Rukia." I say without looking at her as I walk through the gate myself. As I make my way through the Dangai, I hear the gate close behind me. Risking a glance, I move my head the slightest bit to see Rukia behind me.

As we near the entrance to Soul Society, I have this sinking feeling that from this point on, everything will go downhill from here.

_End Flashback_

"Where is Rukia now?" Minata asks while giving me a thoughtful look.

"She is currently in one of the cells of the Sixth Division barracks awaiting her trial." I say as I slump my shoulders just a tad.

"I see. I thought Kuchiki clan leaders had perfect posture." says Minata as she raises an eyebrow.

"Only you, my grandfather, and most of the clan elders would be able to notice my posture slipping." I say as I straightened myself back into my perfect posture.

"I have learned the ways of nobility just like you have. It has made me a lot more critical of my surroundings. Plus, your grandfather has been in your position before when it comes to being Kuchiki Clan leader." she says as she sips the last of her tea.

"That is true. What about the elders?" I ask as I take a sip of my tea.

"I view them as the family critics. Every noble family has a group of them. They make sure that everything is in order within the family. It's their contribution to the clan."

I nod in understanding. I then let out a small smirk.

"When did you become so knowledgeable? When we were growing up, you were always the tomboy that loved to play pranks on people."

"And you were the hothead with the short temper that kept striving and training to be the best Kuchiki clan leader that this clan has ever seen." Minata answers in return.

"Touché" I say as I finish my cup of tea.

"We have changed a lot over the years, haven't we?" she asks as she turns her head to the side, giving me a good view of her profile.

"Indeed we have. How come you haven't moved back to the Fukudome Manor?" I ask her all of a sudden.

"Do you want me to move back?" she asks in return.

"No no, I don't mind you staying here. I like your company." I say in quick response.

"Did you just stutter Byakuya?" she says as she raises one of her eyebrows.

"No, I did not stutter. I was only caught off guard by your question." I answer in response.

"So was I, but unlike you, I was able to keep a straight face." she returns as a comeback.

"Aren't you witty?" I ask as I cross my arms.

She smirks, which is something I haven't seen in a while, and gets up from her seat to walk to the door.

"How are you feeling?" she says to the door, but I know the question is meant for me.

"With everything that has been happening with Rukia, confusion seems to be the dominant emotion." I say in response.

"You're wondering why Rukia willingly gave away her powers to that Kurosaki boy, aren't you?" she continues.

"Yes." I answer her flatly. We turn to face each other.

"I do not have the answers for you Byakuya, but I am getting the feeling that everything will come to light soon enough."

I nod again, knowing that once Minata got one of her "feelings", it was bound to happen, and usually, they happened soon.

"Thanks for talking with me Mina." I say with sincerity in my voice.

"You're welcome Bya-kun. Good night, or should I say good morning." she says with a smile as she walks out the door, leaving me alone in the tea room.

I look out to see the sun start to rise to signal the start of a new day. The only thing I could think of now is what could possibly happen next in my future.

Something tells me that ryoka boy will be back.

End of chapter 3

**A/N: Please review and vote on my poll on my profile page. I let Byakuya have this chapter to himself, but Minata will start the next chapter. Didn't you just love their conversation? You just got to love witty banter.**

**Btw: I have a second poll coming up for you Naruto readers who are fans of the Sand Siblings. It concerns them being supernatural creatures. Check it put when it comes out.**


	4. Maturity and Annoyance

Chapter 4: Maturity and Annoyance

_Minata's POV_

"Wake up Sleeping Beauty!" says a cool voice in my ear.

I open my eyes to see my zanpakutou, Mizukiri, staring straight at my face with her ocean blue eyes, still dressed in her light blue nightgown. I sit up to address her.

"Mizukiri, we have the day off today. You can sleep in if you want to." I tell her as I scratch my hair.

"I know, but today is the day you promised your aunt and grandmother that you would visit them at the Fukudome Manor this morning." she reminds me as she walks over to our vanity to brush out her long blond hair.

"You are right. Do you want to use the bathroom first?" I offer.

"You use it first. I do not mind waiting." she tells me as she pins her hair into her usual low ponytail. She then starts to play around with her blue teardrop amulet, the amulet that seals her true bestial form.

In response, I look at my own amulet. The amulet is in the shape of a four petal flower with round edges in full bloom. It's the same purple as my eyes.

"You spoke with Byakuya during the night?" she suddenly asks me.

"Indeed I did." I answer in return. "He's confused."

"I know. Senbonzakura talked with me while you two were at the tea room. He senses the confusion and inner despair within his master." says Mizukiri as she gives me a thoughtful look.

"For fifty years, Byakuya has kept his promise to Hisana to protect Rukia, but he can't protect her from the law." I tell her.

"That is so true. His duty to Soul Society and his duty to his late wife are conflicting with each other. It seems to be a battle he cannot win." says Mizukiri as she gets up from her seat.

"Mizukiri, is Byakuya still here?" I suddenly ask her.

"No, he and Senbonzakura left for work two hours ago. He came by before he left to wish you good morning and a good day." she says as she walks out the door to go who knows where.

I walk towards my bathroom to get ready for the new day. After a quick shower and a good teeth brushing, I walk out in just my white towel to my closet, where I pick out a simple green kimono. After I put my kimono on, I place my crown back on to the center of my head and leave my room for the dining room.

"Good morning Lady Fukudome."

I turn my head to my left down a second hallway to see two of the Kuchiki elders walk towards me. One is on old gentleman who is one of Byakuya's many uncles. The other is a slightly younger woman who is Byakuya's second cousin. One of his second cousins.

"Oh Elder Kairu, Elder Hirira, good morning." I say in return greeting.

"How are you today." asks the elder gentleman.

"I'm very well, thank you." I answer, the urge of running away from this conversation starting to grow.

"Good, good, there is one thing we ask of you." says Hirara as she gives me a studious look through her black ringed glasses.

"And what would that be?" I ask, a faint hint of curiosity present in my voice.

"Do you think Byakuya is ready to remarry?"

The question stops me dead in my tracks.

"What?" I ask, stunned by such a question.

"It has been fifty years since Byakuya's first marriage to Hisana. We have let Byakuya mourn for his late wife for the allotted time, but what we need right now is an heir for this clan." says Kairu in his gruff voice.

"What you need to do is give Byakuya his space." I say in composed defiance.

"Minata?" questions Hirara as she looks at me in slight shock.

"Look, I don't want to be rude and I care about this clan as much as you do, but right now, Byakuya has a lot to deal with since his sister faces severe punishment for the crime that she did. He needs some time to think and you and the elders breathing down his neck will not help him right now."

"I understand." answers Hirara as she gives me a sincere look.

"I do not." says Kairu bluntly as he crosses his arms. Hirara instantly slaps him.

"Ouch!" he yells in pain.

"Stop acting like a child. If Byakuya needs his time to himself, then will give him his time to gather his thoughts." says Hirara as she gives me an apologetic look.

"Thank you Elder Hirara." I say in sincere gratitude.

"You're welcome. Now come along Kairu. You're going to help me with the gardening." says Hirara as she walks past me to the famous Kuchiki Gardens.

"Oh joy." replies the older man as he follows her.

I only nod my head as I continue on my way to the dining room. When I open the room door, I already see Mizukiri ready to go and eating a muffin. She is dressed in her usual outfit of a long sleeved, royal blue kimono shirt; a long black skirt with a slit on its left side tied back with a dark purple bow, black tights, and heeled sandals similar to my own. She barely wears makeup besides lip gloss since she has black rings that surround her eyes, like a natural eye shadow.

Most people would believe that Mizukiri was a simple, but beautiful maiden at first glance if it wasn't for the fact she was my zanpakutou spirit and partner.

"I see you are already ready." I say as I pick up a muffin of my own from the dining room table.

"I have my ways." she says with a smirk.

We fall into a comfortable silence as we enjoy the taste of our muffins and look out the window at the many cherry blossom trees that surround the manor. Byakuya was always fond of these trees. Whenever one tree died, he would have it replaced with a new one soon after. Most might think it was a mild obsession, but I viewed it as a healthy hobby.

"The court is making their ruling on Rukia's case today." says Mizukiri out of the blue as she eats the last of her muffin.

I stare at her wide eyed. "Really?"

"Indeed. Byakuya is supposed to tell Rukia her sentence himself."

"I see. So the court will rule that Rukia is guilty of all charges." I say to the floor.

"Without a doubt. That's all I know now, but you are going to have to ask Byakuya what happened in order to get the details." says Mizukiri. "Shall we be on our way?"

"Indeed, I would hate to keep my aunt and grandmother waiting." I say as I follow her out the door.

"_And I can't wait to ask Byakuya himself what is really going on."_

_Byakuya's POV_

"You have been found guilty of your crimes and you have been sentenced to death. You will be formally executed on Sokyoku Hill in a matter of days."

The words are hard for me to speak as I tell my sister her upcoming demise. Even though her back faces me, her stiffness tells me she is apprehensive.

"I see. So that's my fate." she says to the wall before facing me.

I don't see fear or sadness within her violet orbs. All I see is defeat and content.

"Is that it? No big reaction?" asks Renji from his position behind me.

"That's it. I broke the law and I need to pay for what I have done. If my punishment is death, then so be it." she tells us with conviction in her voice.

"Tch, whatever!" says Renji as he walks out of the room.

He may sound like he doesn't care, but there is a hint of despair and sadness within his voice proving otherwise.

"Are you still thinking about that ryoka boy in the Living World?" I ask her all of a sudden.

She turns to me with not a hint of emotion appearing upon her face, but her eyes are full of sudden sadness and misery.

"You shouldn't bother. Why do you care about someone like him?" I ask her, a hint of emotionless pleading within the confines of my voice.

"Let's just say I was able to learn more about myself from him and more about the value of close bonds."

The words are sudden and sincere. As I continue to look at her with my stoic gaze, I observe her in a new light. Now that I take a closer look, I see that she has grown, not physically, but grown in maturity.

"I see. Have a good day." I tell her as I leave her presence.

As I walk outside to get some fresh air, I contemplate Rukia's words.

"_Let's just say I was able to learn more about myself from him and more about the value of close bonds."_

In all my years of knowing her, I have let Rukia be my sister, but that was it. I swore to Hisana that I would protect Rukia and let her call me brother, but is that really all it takes to be a suitable brother?

"Well look what we got here. It's the Kuchiki princess!" exclaims a loud gruff voice that seems to be coming from a nearby rooftop.

A scowl instantly appears on my face as I look left to see that barbarian Kenpachi Zaraki standing on top of a nearby building with a large grin plastered on that ugly face of his.

"How's it going Byakuya?" he asks with that sickening grin of his.

"That is none of your business." I reply, agitated that he would speak to me so informally.

"Oh come on Captain Kuchiki. We're all friends here!" calls a mischievous new voice.

"Me and Captain Zaraki are definitely not friends, Captain Ichimaru." I say in my usual stoic voice.

The white haired captain who always seemed to smile even at the worse of times emerged from behind Kenpachi to face me.

"You seem to be a little more tense than usual. Is it about your sister?" he asks, never letting his idiotic grin falter.

"It must be. A girl from that high class of a family now a criminal scheduled to be executed in a matter of days should be stressful and disappointing." exclaims Kenpachi in his loud boisterous voice.

"I didn't know you care. I never knew that lower class people like you two could understand the feelings of a noble." I say as I turn my back to them.

"What's that supposed to fucking mean, huh Kuchiki? You want to fight cause I'll give you a fight!" he yells to me as his spiritual pressure begins to rise.

"Uh oh." I hear Gin say as I continue to face the opposite direction.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" I hear. I finally turn my head to see Kenpachi tied up in white fabric. A bemused smirk tries to break through, but I hold it back.

"We don't need you rampaging and damaging the area, again." says Gin as he starts to drag Kenpach away.

"I DON'T CARE! LET ME GO SO I CAN FIGHT THAT PINK LOVING BASTARD OVER THERE!" he continues to yell. I turn away from the scene and begin to walk inside my division.

"ONE MORE THING BYAKUYA!"

I turn my head back to the barbarian.

"TELL MINATA I SAID HI!" yells Kenpachi with a sleazy smile.

The smile sickens me to no end as I continue to watch Gin's and Kenpachi's receding forms. I can't stand to think of my best friend and that barbarian mutt with the never ending bad hair day even in the same room with each other.

Message not received.

End of chapter 4

**A/N: Please review and vote on my poll. Thank you for reading.**


	5. Good Visit Bad News

New Characters Introduced:

1. Moka Fukudome: Minata's grandmother and the 27th head of the Fukudome Clan. Her zanpakutou is Rebenda Chou (Lavender Butterfly). Moka is a woman who is in her middle fifties but looks like she's 35. She is the current captain of the Kido Corps. Her special clan power is her psychic powers.

2. Rabenda Chou: Moka Fukudome's zanpakutou. Her name means lavender butterfly (rabenda=lavender, chou=butterfly). She is a wind type zanpakutou and shares her master's psychic powers, therefore making her a psychic and wind type zanpakutou.

3. Seirin Fukudome: Minata's aunt and the second in line for the title as head of the Fukudome Clan after Moka and Minata. She is the current lieutenant of the Kido Corps and looks like she's 25 when actually she's in her mid-thirties. Her zanpakutou is Kitsune. Her special clan ability is finding and exploiting her opponents' weaknesses and flaws, whether they are physical or mental.

4. Kitsune: Seirin Fukudome's zanpakutou. Her name means fox. She is a Kido type zanpakutou and shares her master's ability to find and exploit people's weaknesses.

* * *

Chapter 5: Good Visit; Bad News

_Minata's POV_

"How long has it been since the last time we were at your old home?" asks Mizukiri as we walk through the pristine streets of the Sereitei.

"It has been about a month since our last visit to the manor." I respond as we turn the corner onto a wide residential street.

"I wonder what could change in a month." says Mizukiri as she looks up at the sky.

"A lot." I say bluntly as we stop in front of a large white and gold gate.

The gate is pretty plain except for the seal in the middle. The seal shows two shingami women crossing swords while a third woman is holding a thick Kido book open in her outstretched hands in between them. My clan is really big on feminism I suppose.

"Lady Minata, your grandmother has been expecting you." says one of the guards as I walk closer to him and his partner.

"Indeed she has. Would you mind opening the gate for us?" I ask with a sincere smile.

"Certainly my lady." answers the other guard with a smile. The guards turn towards the gate and open the door wide open for us. We nod in gratitude as we walk inside.

"Do you think we will see Akira and Kage Mai around?" asks Mizukiri as we walk through the shady walkway to the main house.

"I doubt it. My cousin and her Zanpakutou are going through intense training as we speak in the 2nd Division." I answer in response.

"Oh yeah. You use to be in that program along with Soi Fon right?" asks Mizukiri in realization.

"Right again Kiri. We used to be students under Yoruichi Shihoin until she left the Soul Society." I say as I feel a somber look come upon my face.

"And look where that training has brought you. You're the 3rd seat of the 1st Division while Soi Fon took over as the Captain of the 2nd Division. I wonder where Yoruichi is right this minute." says Mizukiri as she crosses her arms and lets a scowl appear upon her face.

"Probably with that mad scientist Urahara." I suggest as I walk up the small steps to the main house's porch.

"I thought you said that Urahara was the slightly annoying mad scientist while Captain Kurotsuchi was the mad one." she tells me as she follows me up the stairs.

"You are correct as always." I tell her as I knock on the door of the main house.

"Mina?" questions a feminine voice from within the house.

"Yes it's me Grandma. I'm here with Mizukiri as always." I say to the door.

The padding of slippers on the floor become louder as a shadowy figure comes closer to the door. As soon as she opens it, my grandmother envelopes me in a giant bear hug.

"Mina-chan, it's been so long." she says in a very cheery voice as she continues to squish me with her inhuman strength. Damn our bestial powers.

"Grandmother, you are squishing me, again!" I choke out. It only makes her hug me harder.

"But it has been so long! I've missed you." coos my grandmother in her cheery voice.

"Mama! Let the child go! Do you want to cause her death by asphyxiation, or is it suffocation?" snaps a new voice.

My grandmother instantly open her eyes and looks at what I think is my slightly blue face. She instantly lets me go.

"I'm so sorry, Minata. I guess I got a little carried away." she says as she scratches her head in embarrassment.

"I think you mean a lot." Mizukiri answers for me.

"Do you want a hug too Mizukiri?" Grandma asks with an excited grin.

"I'm good Lady Moka-san." exclaims Mizukiri as she raises her hands in surrender.

"I'll save yours for later then." says Grandma with a smirk as she turns to face the new person in the room. "To answer your question from earlier Seirin, it's asphyxiation, not suffocation."

"Good to know, I always get those two mixed up." says my aunt as she walks ioover to my grandmother's side.

My aunt Seirin is usually a serious woman. My mother was her identical twin. After my parents' death, my aunt cut her long hair to make it a chin length bob. She says it reminded her too much of Mom. She wears two oval hairclips on either side of her head as her head ornament to signify her noble status. Since she is the exact height as me, 5'10, to be exact, she is able to stare me right in the eyes with her bright golden yellow ones.

"How are you feeling, Mina?" she asks me with a gentle smile as she crosses her arms.

"A little sore, but I'll be fine." I tell her as I raise an eyebrow at my grandmother, who only gives me a smirk of embarrassment.

"Okay then; change into some indoor slippers and follows us. Tea is almost ready." my aunt tells me as she starts to walk through the western corridor towards the manor's tea room.

Mizukiri and I do what she says and change out of our outdoor shoes into comfortable indoor slippers and follow them to our next destination.

"So Mina, how has work been going for you two?" asks my grandmother in a sincere attempt to make idle chit chat.

"Very well. Thanks for asking Grandma." I say with a smirk.

"How is Byakuya coping with the Rukia situation?" asks my aunt bluntly as we turn the corner into a second hallway.

"Seirin, what have I told you about being blunt?" says Grandma in a reprimanding tone.

"That it will only get you nowhere unless you be nice when you ask; if that doesn't work, then you can be as blunt as you like." says Aunt Seirin in a tired tone, nodding her head disappointingly at grandma's sudden childish voice.

I let out a chuckle at their childish banter. My clan was always different from the other noble families, especially Byakuya's. While the Kuchikis are known for being stoic and graceful in everything they do, the Fukudomes were known to be easy going and willing to let our flaws show in public.

We don't exactly fit into the noble mold. Maybe that's why I was such the prank loving tomboy when I was younger.

"Grandmother Moka, Aunt Seirin, where are your zanpakutou?" I ask all of a sudden, finally realizing that they were not present.

"Oh them?" replies my grandmother as she turns to face me. "Chou and Kitsune are going to meet us at the tea room. There they are now."

I look straight ahead to see two women standing in front of the tea room door. The first woman had long curly lavender colored hair, lavender eyes, pointy ears, and an elfish face. She wore a sleeveless dark lavender kimono that only went mid-thigh and white bandages were wrapped around her shins and went up to her knees. The most noticeable feature wasn't her lavender colored hair, it was the small set of lavender colored monarch butterfly wings that were protruding from her back. The other woman had short blonde hair in a curly bob. She wore an orange red sleeveless kimono top, a black open vest, skinny black pants and tall peep toe sandals. A pair of yellow fox ears with white edges poked out of her blonde hair while a long blonde fox tail with a white tip poked out of her rear.

"Right on time Chou, Kitsune." commented Seirin as we walked up to the two zanpakutou spirits.

"Why thank you master." answered Kitsune as she nods her head in our direction.

"The tea should be ready by now." says Chou with a sweet smile eerily like Grandma's.

"Great! Let's go inside and have some tea before it gets cold." says Granma Moka as she turns to me. "I bet you have a lot to talk about."

"Grandmother, you have no idea." I answer her as we all enter the tea room, little did I know that there was a certain insect carrying more bad news our way.

_Byakuya's POV, two hours later_

"Is there something wrong master?"

I turn my head to the left to look at Senbonzakura. Even though he always wears that mask of his, I can easily feel the worry emanating from his body.

"I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me that much Senbonzakura." I tell him as we continue to walk through one of the higher class neighborhoods of the Seireitei.

"I understand fully master." he says as he nods his head my way.

We continue to walk down the street in silence as we enjoy the pleasant sunny day. Well one of us is enjoying the sunny day. My thoughts are clouded. Not with the memory of Rukia in the jail cell, but with the thought of Kenpachi telling me to say hi to Minata for him.

I have known Minata ever since we were children, babies even, so it is understandable that I would grow protective of her. She's my best friend and I care for her well-being. And Kenpachi Zaraki is and never will be good for her well-being.

"Master, isn't that the Fukudome Gate across the street?" asks my zanpakutou out of the blue.

I instantly break out of my thoughts to look in said direction to see the gate of the Fukudome Manor right in front of us, complete with the guards securing the entrance.

"Indeed it is Senbonzakura." I respond as I continue to observe the gate, suddenly feeling a sense of expectancy.

My feeling is right as I observe the gate open to reveal Minata and Mizukiri walk out from within the home, catching a glimpse of the shady apple and oak trees within the walls.

"See you later boys." calls Mizukiri from behind her shoulder as the two start to walk east towards the Kuchiki Manor.

"Good day, Lady Minata, Lady Mizukiri!" calls the guards in return as they bow their heads at their fading presence.

"Is it just me or does Minata look troubled?" asks Senbonzakura as he gazes at Minata.

I follow his gaze to also see that a troubled look is showing across Minata's beautiful features. Did I just say beautiful?

"Let's see what's wrong?" I tell my zanpakutou as I start to follow the two women back home.

"Sure thing." says Senbonzakura as he follows my lead.

It takes the two women only 10 seconds o sense our familiar presence.

"Captain Kuchiki, Senbonzakura." acknowledges Mizukiri as she stops walking to acknowledge us. Minata stops as well but she doesn't turn to us immediately like Mizukiri did.

"May we walk with you two?" asks Senbonzakura as we all start to make our way back to the manor.

"Sure thing." answers the blonde zanpakutou. As the two spirits start to converse about poetry, I quicken my pace to catch up to Minata, who was walking a clear 10 feet from the rest of us before I catched up to her.

"Is there something wrong Mina?" I ask her as I observe her troubled face.

"You mean you haven't heard?" she asks me as she looks at me with those beautiful eyes of hers. Did I just say beautiful again?

"Heard of what?" I ask her in slight confusion.

"There have been Hell butterflies traveling through the Soul Society delivering a certain message to all the Captains of the 13 Divisions and even the Kido Corps." she tells me as she looks away from me.

"That message must be important if even your grandmother has been included as one of the receivers." I tell her as we turn a corner.

"Indeed. You haven't gotten word of it yet?" she asks me curiously.

"I left my office early today after finishing all of my paperwork. I must have left before the Hell butterfly could visit the office." I tell her as reach the Kuchiki gate.

"It will find you soon enough, but it's probably better if you hear the news now. It concerns Rukia."

"What is it?" I ask her abruptly, a slightly foreboding worry starting to grow within me.

Minata takes a deep breath before answering. Nothing could prepare me for what she says next.

"Rukia Kuchiki's execution will happen sooner than expected."

End of chapter 5

**A/N: Please review and vote on my poll**


	6. A Pleasant Tea Time

Chapter 6:A Pleasant Tea Time

_Byakuya's POV_

"What do you mean Rukia's execution will happen sooner than expected?" I ask her as I let my eyes widen in surprise in front of her.

"The Central 46 has decided to move Rukia's execution up a week than originally planned. There has also been rumors the Central 46 may even move the execution date up even further if need be." says Minata as we walk through the recently opened gate onto the Kuchiki property, our zanpakuto walking obediently right behind us.

"What reason do they have for doing that?" I ask her a little too loudly, startling the resident gardener.

"Apparently, the Central 46 believes that the people she allied with during her time in the Living World will come to rescue her from her fate. They want to make sure that there will be nothing for them to rescue when they arrive." she tells me as she gives a sakura tree a stern look.

Images of that ryoka boy start to appear in my mind as I let Minata's words sink in.

"So, it appears that Ichigo Kurosaki did not die from his wounds as I had hoped." I say as we stop to gaze at the Manor's koi pond.

"Not at all; after you and Renji took Rukia into custody and came back to the Soul Society from the Living World, Kisuke Urahara found Kurosaki and tended to his wounds." says Mina as she crosses her arms.

"He should have been locked up instead of being banned to the Living World. That exiled scientist will always remain a thorn in the Soul Society's side." I say with a sigh. I turn to her, a new question forming in my mind.

"How do you know that piece of information Minata? I thought the high ranking members of the Second Division and the Onmitsukudo were the only ones to know that classified information." I say as I raise an eyebrow at my closest friend.

"I may no longer be a member of 2nd Division, but I still have my connections." she says with a smirk.

"I suppose so." I respond as I turn my attention back to the pond. "I'm still slightly amazed that Captain Soi-Fon allowed you to take the promotion as the First Division's third seat, even though you were already the 2nd Division's third seat."

"Captain Soi-Fon has her reasons for letting me go. Only time will tell if she'll actually say them." she tells me as she starts to walk away.

I follow after her along with our zanpakutou.

"I need you to make this clear for me. Is it true that Captain Soi Fon wanted to make you her lieutenant and Oomaeda the third seat?" I asked her curiously as we walk towards the tea room.

"It's actually true Byakuya. Captain Soi Fon wanted me to replace Oomaeda as her lieutenant of the Second Division, but because of a certain rule, it wasn't allowed." she says as she turns her head to face me as we walk.

"What was that rule again?" I ask her with a slight smirk. We always like to humor each other by testing each other's knowledge of the rules of Soul Society and the 13 Court Guard Squads.

"I believe that rule is that as long as a lieutenant of any division is healthy, ready, and able to perform his duties for his or her division, then the lieutenant can stay in his or her role. Unless the lieutenant has died for any reason or has lost their powers, the lieutenant is to remain at his or her designated occupation for the rest of their lives unless promoted to captaincy." she says as we turn a corner into a long hallway as we edge closer to the tea room.

"Excellent job Lady Fukudome." I say with a small grin as we stop in front of the tea room.

"Why thank you Lord Kuchiki." she responds with a genuine smile, one that I haven't seen in ages.

"In my opinion, you would make an excellent lieutenant." says Senbnzakura out of the blue as he breaks his conversation with Mizukiri.

"Why thank you Senbonzakura." replies Minata in gratitude as she opens the door, revealing my grandfather within the room.

"Grandfather?" I question him as I give him a look of slight surprise.

"Ah Byakuya, Minata; welcome back you four. Come right in. I was hoping to have a do over of our missed weekly tea Byakuya, if you don't mind?" says my grandfather as he pours four cups of cherry blossom tea into some cups on the small table.

"Of course Grandfather." I say sheepishly as we all converge around the small round table. I always meant to make that date up.

"So, how has your day been Byakuya?" asks my grandfather as we start to make small conversation.

"Slightly eventful." I respond as I take a sip of my tea.

"So you've heard the news about Rukia huh?" asks my grandfather in his stoic, but gruff voice.

"Indeed I have." I answer him as I give Minata a slight glance.

"This does seem suspicious don't you think? They set Rukia's execution date at a specific time, but change it in less than a week. It's a bit peculiar if you ask me." comments my grandfather as he places his hand on his chin.

"They say their reason for moving the date is because they think a rescue party from the Human World will come for her." says Mizukiri as she finishes her tea. I have no idea how she manages to drink it so fast and gracefully without anyone noticing. I would have to ask Minata about that later.

"Understandable Mizukiri; before she was arrested Rukia was stationed in the Living World for a number of weeks. She was bound to meet some humans that would notice her spiritual pressure. They're not uncommon." says grandfather as he takes a sip of his tea.

"Do you really think that a rescue party will come here to Soul Society and rescue Rukia from her fate?" I ask in slight curiosity and slight agitation

"It's possible. If they know the right people." says Grandfather with a knowing smirk. We all know what he means by that smirk.

"Even if they find a way to get here to Soul Society, they will face many challenges." says Minata as she closes her eyes.

"The Dangai, the barrier around the Seireitei, and the many shinigami that walk through the Seireitei's streets, just to name a few." says Senbbonzakura as he places his empty cup on the table.

"Senbonzakura, how in the Seirietei did you drink that cup of tea without taking off your mask?" asks Mizukiri as she raises a blonde eyebrow at the samurai.

"I have my ways. That piece of information is for me to know and you to find out." he says while staring straight ahead. Mizukiri instantly scowls at his response and looks away from him.

I let a bemused smirk appear across my face at the two zanpakutou's witty banter as I look at Minata and Grandfather, also with bemused smirks on their faces.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed by your zanpakutou, Byakuya, Mina. They are a part of your soul and reflect your more, what's the word, boisterous traits." says Grandfather as he finishes the last of his tea.

"Like how we always bickered like the little kids we were when we were younger?" asks Minata as she looks at the elder noble.

"Exactly" says grandfather with a smirk.

"I still blame Minata for most of them." I say bluntly as I finish my tea.

"Me?" asks Minata with a little bit of feigned surprise as she looks at me.

"Yes you Minata-chan. We always argued because of the pranks you would pull on me." I answer her in slight reprimand.

"In my defense, you were asking for most of them with the way you impulsively acted." says Mina as she looks away from me.

"I was in training to become the Kuchiki clan leader I am today." I respond as I get a good look of her profile. Was her porcelain skin always that flawless?

"You were, but you always got angry over the smallest things." answers Minata as she gives me a skeptical look.

"Like what?" I asked her in curiosity.

"Let me list them for you." says Minata as she raises her right hand, ready to list off the choices.

"There were my pranks, Yoruichi always taking your hair tie, Yoruichi always beating you in Flash Step races, Captain Ukitake always treating you like a child, and Captain Kyoraku always saying you were a brat. Need I say more?" asks Minata as she raises an eyebrow.

My Grandfather lets out a chuckle as I let an irritated scowl show over my face.

"She's got you beat master. There's no way you can get out of this one. Point for Mina-chan." says Senbonzakura bluntly.

That line sends my Grandfather over the edge as he starts to have a chuckle fit. Mizukiri on the other hand falls to the floor laughing away. Minata lets out a small grin, but does not laugh with them.

I turn my attention over to my zanpakutou, still with the scowl on my face.

"Senbonzakura, you talk too much." I say in a scolding manner.

This line sends Minata into a giggle fit as she covers her mouth to stifle her laughter.

"I know I speak too much. I inherited your old impulsiveness from you remember?" says Senbonzakura as he starts right at me.

"Now you are just getting fresh Senbonzakura." I say, still in my scolding tone.

"I know you were, but what am I?" asks Senbonzakura as he shrugs in my direction.

Everyone continues to laugh at our childish banter, especially Mizukiri. As I am about to speak to my zanpakuto in reprimand, a sharp knock on the door interrupts me.

"Enter." says Grandfather in between chuckles.

The door slides open to reveal one of the Kuchiki servants holding a message with the Gotei 13 symbol on its front.

"Sorry to interrupt. This message can only be opened by high ranking members of the First Division." says the brunette man as he hands the message over to Minata. He acknowledges the rest of us before taking his leave.

Minata channels some of her purple spiritual energy into the scroll message. The scroll accepts the energy and she easily rolls it open. She scans the message quickly before closing it.

"What does the scroll say master?" asks Mizukiri as she finally recovers from her giggle fit.

"An illegal Seikaimon was open in the Rukongai hours ago." says Minata in an annoyed tone.

"Who emerged from the Seikamon?" asks Senbonzakura, voicing our joined curiosity.

"A small group from the Living World; Karakura Town to be exact." says Minata as she places the scroll on the table.

"Who is among them?" asks Grandfather as he eyes Minata curiously.

"They are all teenagers accompanied by one cat. There's a tall dark skinned male, a young girl, a boy that appear to be a quincy, and . . ." says Minata as she trails off.

"And?" I say as I egg her on.

"And the same ryoka boy you and Renji encountered back in the Living World. Apparently, he has gained shinigami powers."

"He probably took them from another Soul Reaper." I say in disgust.

"Not correct Byakuya; these powers the ryoka boy has are from his soul." says Minata as she crosses her arms.

"You don't mean?" I say, but she cuts me off.

"Indeed Byakuya. These new powers that this Ichigo boy has are from his own training. The boy is a natural Soul Reaper."

All I can think of when I hear those words is one sentence.

All hell is going to break loose if I ever see that ryoka boy in my presence.

And this time, no one is going to stop me.

I guarantee it.

End of chapter 6

**A/N: Please review and vote on my poll. Thanks!**


	7. Help and Assisstance

Chapter 7: Help and Assisstance

_Minata's POV_

A few days.

It has been a few days since the Ryoka Invasion to the Soul Society began.

As I walk through the First Division courtyard by myself, I wonder why.

Why would those humans go this far for Rukia?

They've only known her for a few weeks, but they come here to save her like they have known her for a lifetime.

In truth, it is touching. Those humans are doing something that I believe Byakuya wishes he could do.

Defy the Soul Society in order to save someone close to him.

Because of his status as the head of the Kuchiki Clan and as the Captain of the Sixth Division of the 13 Court Guard Squads, it would be considered a travesty for someone like him to defy the Soul Society's rules.

I know that Byakuya is someway hurting inside. This is a problem that he can't solve on his own.

Now that I think about it, I'm actually pleased that the ryokas have come for Rukia. I bet it somehow gives Byakuya hope.

He just won't admit it to himself or to others. But that's just Byakuya's style.

"Lady Fukudome!"

"Huh?" I say as I am broken free from my thoughts by a mysterious voice. I turn to my left to see Izuru Kira, the Lieutenant of the Third Division, and Momo Hinamori, the Lieutenant of the Fifth Division, run over to me from the courtyard's main entrance. Their zanpakutos, Wabisuke and Tobiume, follow them.

"Lieutenant Kira, Lieutenant Hinamori, what may I do for you two?" I say with a pleasant smirk on my face.

"Do you know where Captain Kuchiki is?" asks Momo as she takes in a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Captain Kuchiki is in an emergency Captain's meeting with the other Captains' in the main hall. They probably won't be out for some time. What's wrong?" I ask the two with a curious look.

"Renji left the Lieutenant's meeting in a hurry. After we heard that the ryoka boy known as Ichigo Kurosaki took a hostage, he left without us knowing. We believe he left to confront him." says Kira as he takes out a badge from his pocket.

I soon recognize it as the Squad 6 lieutenant's badge, Renji's badge.

"I see. That's troubling to know." I say as I cross my arms and look at the ground.

"What should we do, Lady Minata?" asks Hinamori-san all of a sudden.

"Momo?" I ask her in surprise. Kira also gives her a curious look himself.

"I know it seems a bit silly for a lieutenant to ask a third seat for help, but we are trying to keep Captain Kuchiki in mind in our decision. Since you are the one person in the whole Gotei 13 that has known Captain Kuchiki very well enough to know what he thinks, we thought you may have an idea on what we should do."

"So you are basically putting me in Captain Kuchiki's shoes with this decision on what to do with Renji facing the ryoka boy; should you go help him or let him do this on his own." I say as I weigh the options.

"Yeah, that's basically it." says Kira with a nervous laugh.

"Don't worry you two. It's perfectly fine to look to others for advice. Captain Kuchiki is a man that abides by the law. He believes that if someone is going to take on a task, that person should do it, even if they go in to it alone."

"So, Captain Kuchiki would probably just let Renji go on and face the ryoka by himself?" asked Tobiume from her master's side.

"Indeed." I say in reply. "But you two should go and observe him; it should be a good learning experience for you two. Plus, I have a feeling Renji's not going to leave that battle unscathed."

"Knowing that idiot, it's a guarantee that he's going to get himself hurt." said Wabisuke with a glum look.

"Wabisuke!" says Kira in surprise. He turns to me. "Sorry!"

"It's okay. Your zanpakutou is just your voicing your concerns in a more, creative way." I tell him with a smirk.

"We'll just be on our way then." says Izuru with a shy smile. He then hands Renji's bagde to me. "Do you mind giving Captain Kuchiki Renji's badge when he gets out of his meeting?"

"I'll make sure of it." I say with a smirk as I take the badge.

"See you Minata-chan at the next SWA meeting!" exclaims Momo with a bow. She then flash steps away, Tobiume, Wabisuke, and Izuru right behind her.

"See you later." I whisper to no one as I make my way to the main hall. By the time I reach it, I see that the captains are already leaving.

As I climb the stairs to the main hall, I see that only Byakuya, Captain Hitsugaya, Captain Ukitake, and strangely Captain Zaraki are the only ones remaining in the room. Captain Ukitake is the first to notice me.

"Ahh Minata-chan, how are you today and why do you have Lieutenant Abarai's badge in your possession?" he asks me with a quizzical look as he points to said badge in question.

The question makes Byakuya swing his head to face me. His stare instantly goes to the badge I hold in my gloved right hand.

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking Ukitake-taichou. To answer your second question, I'm here to give Kuchiki-taichou his lieutenant's badge. His lieutenant abruptly left the lieutenant's meeting, so some of his fellow lieutenants asked me to bring this to him." I answer in a plain voice.

"Do you know why he left the meeting?" asks Captain Hitsugaya as he suddenly jumps into the conversation.

"He left the meeting to confront the orange haired ryoka boy after he heard that he took a hostage." I tell him as I look at the white haired prodigy.

"I see he still has some of that 11th Division fighting spirit in him!" exclaims Kenpachi with a happy sneer. He then looks at Byakuya, who has already made his way over to me. He holds his hand out and I hand him Renji's badge.

He then walks straight for the door.

"Where you going Princess?" exclaims Kenpachi as he raises an eyebrow at the stoic noble.

"That is none of your concern." answers Byakuya as he doesn't avert his gaze from the door.

"Are you going to look for your lieutenant and the ryoka invader?" asks Captain Ukitake as he turns to the door to look at Byakuya's back.

"If Renji has decided to go up against the ryoka by himself, then so be it. I'm not going to interfere. But if he ends up getting beat by that ryoka boy, then that, my fellow captains, is inexcusable." says Byakuya in his stoic tone before flash stepping from the premises.

"Typical Princess. Always gets on my nerves woth that stuck up attitude of his." says Kenpachi with a sneer as he too leaves, but at a much slower pace than Byakuya's shunpo.

"That's Captain Kuchiki for you. As noble as ever." says Captain Ukitake as he too flash steps away from the hall.

"Lady Fukudome, may I ask you something?" asks Captain Hitsugaya with a curious look on his usually stoic face.

"Ask away Captain Hitsugaya." I tell him with a curious look.

"You and Captain Kuchiki have known each other for many years. So how do you put up with someone like that every day? You're personalities are a little different. He's more stoic and you're more easy going. How do you do it?"

I let a small smirk appear across my lips. "A whole lot of patience Captain Hitsugaya; a whole lot of patience can go a long way when being friends with a noble."

_Byakuya's POV_

As I travel across the various roofs of the Sereitei, I try to detect Renji's spiritual pressure. Over the past few minutes, his spiritual pressure had spiked and lessened. In other words, he had engaged in battle with the ryoka boy.

Judging by how much the pressure seems to rise and fall, Renji's opponent has really picked up his game. If I do face him in the future, he may actually prove a challenge.

After a few more minutes, I realize that Renji's spiritual pressure has not risen. Instead, it has flat lined. As soon as I get a good lock on it, I flash step to his current location.

I finally stop on an empty street. As soon as I turn left at the nearest corner, I see a group of shinigami hovering over a fallen Renji. Two of the shinigami I recognize are the lieutenants of the 3rd and 5th Divisions.

"What should we do?" asks a shinigami in a cowardly voice.

"We need to get Renji to the 4th Division. We can't leave him untreated like this." cries the 5th Division lieutenant.

"You're right Momo. We got to get him medical attention as fast as we can." continues the 3rd Division lieutenant.

"That won't be necessary." I say in a cold voice.

I see their backs stiffen as they hear my voice. They all turn to see me with surprised looks.

"CAPTAIN KUCHIKI!" they all exclaim in flustered tones.

"Since my lieutenant went and faced the ryoka invader by himself, it would be inexcusable if he lost. And since he did appear to have lost his battle with the intruder, then he must be punished." I explain in my usual stoic tone.

"You can't be serious?" asks another low ranking shinigami. I give him credit for having the gutless confidence to speak out in front of me.

"But I am. Renji Abarai should be thrown in jail for losing to the ryoka boy." I say in a slight reprimanding tone.

"But Renji needs medical attention!" exclaims the 5th lieutenant as she takes a step forward, but is stopped by her fellow lieutenant.

"Kira?" she asks in surprise.

"There's no point going up against a captain Hinamori. We won't win this one." says the lieutenant in an unsure tone.

"You're probably right Kira. My apologies Kuchiki-taichou." says the small female with a small bow.

"Just don't let it happen again." I tell them as I turn away and walk in the opposite direction.

I feel terrible for what I just said. After seeing Renji's unconscious and injured form, it is easy to say that Renji does need to go to the 4th Division for treatment. But we pay for the choices we have made and Renji just made a very bad one.

"Captain Ichimaru!" exclaims the blonde lieutenant in surprise as I am broken out of my thoughts by his startled voice.

"Don't worry you guys. Renji here will be fine even though he does have to go to jail. I'll call for a medic myself." I hear the silver haired captain say because I do not turn my back to look at the scene.

"Thank you Captain Gin." I hear a few shinigami say in gratitude.

Gin may be a thorn in my side at times.

But he knows when to be helpful when the time calls for it.

End of Chapter 7

**Birthday Reminder: January 27 is Loly Aivirnne's birthday**


	8. Intruders

Chapter 8:

_Byakuya's POV_

I flash step over the Sereitei's various buildings to the Shishinrō with Senbonzakura at my side. After leaving Renji with the others, I sense a faint and foreign spiritual pressure and conclude that the hostage and one of the ryoka's allies are on their way there to rescue Rukia.

As we swiftly make our way over to the large prison, I sense an all too familiar presence on my left.

"You have sensed the faint spiritual pressure as well, Third Seat Fukudome." I say flatly as I continue to stare straight ahead.

"Indeed I have, Captain Kuchiki." says Minata in a flat tone as well as she and Mizukiri follow us.

"Do you know the identities of the assailants heading for the Shishinrō?" I ask her as I finally turn to face her.

"I know that there are at least two people heading for the prison. One I believe is the hostage while the other is an ally to the ryokas. The hostage has been identified as a member of the 4th Division." she says as we make a sharp right turn.

"What about the other one?" asks Senbonzakura as he turns to our friend.

"The other is a member of one of the exiled clans. We haven't identified which one yet." says Mizukiri as she turns to the samurai.

Senbonzakura nods his head in understanding and we continue our sprint through Soul Society in silence. We swiftly reach the large complex and shunpo through its large doors. We don't stop until we reach the bridge that connects the platform we currently stand on to the tower that holds my sister in confinement.

We start to walk along the bridge, getting closer and closer to the faint spiritual pressure.

"It can't be." muttered Minata as we continue to walk along the bridge.

"What is it master?" asks Mizukiri as she raises one of her blonde eyebrows.

"I still don't recognize the ally to the ryokas' spiritual pressure, but I do recognize the hostage's own." says Minata as she crosses her arm.

I turn to her and instantly come face to face with her neck. Thanks to her heeled sandals, she's at least two inches taller than me. Without them, she is one inch shorter than me.

"I only sense the ryoka ally's own. How are you able to sense the hostage's own?" I ask her in a slightly commanding tone.

"My clan has a long history of being more sensitive to others' spiritual pressure than most shinigami. We are able to sense even the faintest of spiritual pressure, even if it is just the size of a dust mite." she says as she turns to me.

"That's a very unique gift you and your clan have Minata-san. No wonder Yoruichi chose you to be a part of the 2nd Division at first glance." comments Senbonzakura.

We all turn to face him with different reaction on our faces. Mizukiri looks annoyed, Minata looks stunned, while I just give my zanpakuto my coldest stare.

"Too much?" he asks us.

"Just a little." answers Mizukiri after neither I nor Minata says an answer to the samurai.

Choosing to ignore my sometimes random zanpakuto, I turn to my friend.

"Who is the hostage?" I ask her as we continue walking.

"The 4th Division's 7th seat Hanataro Yamada." she says as we see Rukia's tower come into view.

"The seventh seat?" asks Senbonzakura like he momentarily lost his hearing.

"That's what she just said Senbonzakura." says Mizukiri as she gives him an annoyed look.

"I don't see any guards around." says Senbonzkura as he totally ignores Mizukiri, which earns him a slightly murderous look.

"The life of a zanpakuto." comments Minata as she brings her attention back to the tower in front of us. "There they are."

I turn my attention to see Rukia, seventh eat Yamada, and a bulky looking man exit the tower. Thanks to her time in the tower, I can barely even sense a fleck of Rukia's spiritual pressure. It's the seventh seat that is the first sees us.

"CAPTAIN KUCHIKI! THIRD SEAT FUKUDOME!" he exclaims as his attention finally reaches us.

Rukia and the bulky man both look up to see us in their presence.

"Brother!" exclaims Rukia as she lays her eyes on me.

"Brother?" questions the bulky man. "You're Byakuya Kuchiki's sister?"

Rukia reluctantly nods her head yes.

"And I thought it was just an enemy hiding their reiatsu, but it was actually just a plain old bug." I say with tiredness evident in my voice.

"What did you say?" the man says in rage. He moves to attack me, but I quickly see through his trick and instantly damage his arm before he can pounce.

"You're better off just going home right now. If you stay, you will die." I say bluntly from a few feet behind him.

"Hah! Do you really think I'm going to be scared of a guy like you. That's a laugh." cackles the man.

I turn around to see the man stare at me with a fierce gaze.

"Besides I can't run away. As a member of the Shiba family, I'm not going to be scared of a guy like you!" exclaims the man in defiance.

My ears perk up in hearing the name of the former Fifth Great Noble Family.

"Did you just say that you are a member of the Shiba family?" I ask with a hint of curiosity in my tone.

"What's it to you?" he asks me a little shakily.

"My apologies; I was planning on just stopping you, but after hearing that you are a member of the Shiba clan, it will be my pleasure of finishing you, permanently."

Senbonzakura takes that as his cue to take action. He transforms back into his sword form and I lift my blade to the front of my face.

"No; don't do this brother!" pleads Rukia as she can only look on in her weakened state. But the pleas fall on deaf ears.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura"

_Minata's POV_

Senbonzakura is a blade that is beautiful as it is deadly.

As he transforms into his shikai form, he splits into thousands of tiny miniscule blades. The light reflects on those blades to make it appear that they are petals from the cherry blossom trees.

The sword is a sword of whimsy, but is also a sword of death.

It's a sword of contradictions.

How can something that looks so beautiful be so deadly at the same time?

I wonder about that for only a minute until the answer finally comes to me.

The sword is an instrument. It's doesn't have a purpose until its wielder gives it one.

And Byakuya's purpose right now is maintaining the honor and pride of the Soul Society.

People that prevent him from doing said purpose will just die by his blade in the end. The Shiba man is just the latest victim.

The Shiba man lies in a pool of blood as Senbonzakura's blades retract from his broken body. Yet I still notice his heavy breathing. Byakuya notices it too.

"You're still alive? Commendable, but foolish at the same time." says Byakuya in a cold voice as he raises Senbonzakura's hilt above his head.

As he is about to strike the Shiba man with one last final blow of his shikai, Byakuya is stopped by an all too familiar sickly pale hand.

"Captain Ukitake!" I say in surprise as the white haired man appears behind Byakuya. His twin zanpakuto, Sogyo no Kotowari, is right at his side.

"What do you think you are doing?" asks Byakuya in a stoic voice as he moves his eyes to fac the captain of the 13th Division.

"What do you think you are doing, Captain Kuchiki? You, me, and Minata-san all know that using your zanpakuto's release in the Konnatokoru is a first class offense." says the white haired man as he releases his hold on Byakuya.

"The special war time orders have been enacted. In other words, it's perfectly fine for me to use my shikai here." says Byakuya in his usual stoic voice.

Ukitake doesn't respond, but suddenly, he looks up into the sky like he's expecting something. Byakuya and I do the same thing.

"That spiritual pressure" I say, not bothering to continue my sentence.

"It's on the level of a captain, but I don't recognize it." says Ukitake as we continue to look at the sky.

"Unfortunately, I do." says Byakuya in slight stoic annoyance.

We all turn to face Rukia, but someone new has joined us on the bridge. The figure is a teenage boy with orange hair. What strikes me as surprising is the size of his zanpakuto, which is the size of a giant meat cleaver.

"Long time, no see Byakuya Kuchiki." says the ryoka as he points his sword at said Kuchiki.

"Ichigo?" whispers Rukia, but she says nothing else.

"Friend of yours?" asks Ukitake as he looks at Byakuya's back.

"Ichigo Kurosaki is definitely no friend of mine. Quite the opposite actually." responds Byakuya in a cold tone.

So this is the famous Ichigo Kurosaki. As I observe the two men stare each other down, I feel the cold air between these two.

I swiftly turn my attention to Rukia in time to see her directly looking at me, her eyes pleading for me to stop this.

I may be a powerful third seated officer of the Gotei 13, but I am smart enough to know to never come between two titans that really don't like each other.

Especially when they hold really powerful weapons and have really bad tempers.

End of chapter 8

**A/N: Please review**


	9. Yoruichi's Arrival

Chapter 9: Yoruichi's Arrival

_Byakuya's POV_

"How in the world did you acquire shinigami powers?" I ask the orange haired ryoka invader. I already knew how he acquired his powers from an earlier report, but I wanted to hear his side of the story myself.

"Urahara-san trained me. Thanks to him, I was able to gain my very own shinigami powers." answered the ryoka with a scowl.

"So that's what Kisuke's been up to these past few days." commented Ukitake as he continues to stand behind me.

"It's commendable that you've trained to get your own shinigami powers, but you should have just stayed home and lived your normal Human life." I say as my grip on Senbonzakura starts to tighten.

"You're right. If I was in my right mind, I would have stayed home and forget about this whole Soul Society business. But after hearing that Rukia, your own sister, was going to be executed for helping me protect my family, I wasn't going to stay back and let it happen." exclaims the ryoka as he starts to unsheathe his sword.

"Ichigo" says Rukia as she looks at the boy.

"That's one large zanpakutou!" comments Sogyo no Kotowari as the two ogle the zanpakutou.

"It's not in a usual sealed katana sheath. It's like it's permanently stuck in its shikai form, like Captain Kenpachi's." comments Minata as she crosses her arms.

The Kenpachi comparison starts to really make my blood boil, since I dislike that barbarian just as much as I dislike the ryoka boy.

"What is the name of your zanpakutou, Ichigo?" I ask with my voice full of scorn.

"My zanpakutou? Well, just because you asked nicely, Byakuya, I'll tell you. My zanpakutou's name is Zangetsu." answers the boy as a new figure appears right behind him.

The figure appears to be a middle aged man with raven colored hair and stubble across his jawline. He's dressed in a white dress shirt, black pants, black boots, and a black overcoat.

"Master?" questions the man as he looks at Ichigo.

"Zangetsu, glad you can join the party." says the orange haired teen without averting his gaze from me.

"So this is your zanpakuto? He's mildly impressive, but just because you've gained new powers does not mean you will beat me!" I exclaim as I use Senka to appear behind him.

However, as soon as I turn around, both the ryoka and his zanpakutou spirit have already disappeared. I turn forward to see that the two have reappeared behind Rukia and Hanataro.

"You're skills have improved; I'll give you that Ichigo Kurosaki. I wonder if you have become fast enough to dodge my shikai." I say as I raise my blade to the front of my face. Before I can even say scatter, Senbonzakura is wrapped in a mysterious cloth.

I lift my gaze to the dark skinned, purple haired woman holding onto the other end of the cloth.

"Yoruichi!" exclaims the ryoka as he stares at her wide eyed.

"It's been a while Byakuya." she says as she turns to face me, her golden yellow eyes virtually unreadable.

"What are you doing here?" asks Ichigo.

She doesn't answer him. Instead, she knocks him out cold.

"Master?" questions his zanpakuto in surprise as he disappears.

"Yoruichi!" exclaims Rukia in surprise.

"Typical tactic, Yoruichi." says Minata as she boldly walks forward to stand right next to me. "It may look like a simple knockout that you administered to the ryoka, but in truth, you injected a small serum into him that will knock him out cold because you figured he wasn't going to listen to what you have to say."

"Exactly, my dear old pupil." says Yoruichi with a smirk as she picks up the unconscious ryoka.

"You do know you won't be able to escape here with the ryoka that easily, don't you?" I ask her as I take a step forward.

"Oh really, Byaku-bo?" she asks me while using that ridiculous nickname she had given me all those years ago. "Tell me Byakuya, have you ever beaten me in a game of tag?"

"Should we try again?" I ask her as we both use shunpo, her evading, me chasing.

Yoruichi Shihoin is known as the "Flash Goddess" because she is the fastest person in all of Soul Society. Today, I was going to beat her in her own game.

We continue our little game of tag until I make my move and slash Yoruichi right across her midsection. I almost let out a small smirk until I realized she used the Cicada maneuver to evade the attack. Next thing I knew, she was standing on the roof of one of the nearby towers.

"In three days, I will make this ryoka boy stronger than you, Byakuya Kuchiki. You two will continue your battle then." she yells to me. She then turns to Minata.

"Take care of yourself, Mina! Keep practicing that Bankai of yours!" she yells with a grin before disappearing from the area.

"I didn't know you achieved Bankai Minata-san!" exclaims Ukitake as he stares at my friend wide eyed. His zanpakutou does the exact same thing.

I turn to my friend, seeing the slightly embarrassed look on her face. Mizukiri, on the other hand, starts to whistle a random tune while looking away from the others.

"Master, did you have any idea that Minata-san and Mizukiri achieved Bankai?" asks Senbonzakura as he returns to his human form.

"I had no idea myself." I say as an answer as I raise an eyebrow at my best friend.

_Minata's POV_

"_Damn you Yoruichi Shihoin!"_ I think in my mind as my old sensei flees the scene with the ryoka boy in tow.

As Captain Ukitake starts to bombard me with questions on my Bankai, I reflect on the day me and Mizukiri first achieved it.

It was a few days before Yoruichi deserted her post as the Captain of 2nd Division, Commander of the Omnitsukudo, and Soul Society entirely when I achieved my Bankai. I only achieved my bankai during a fit of frustration when I was visiting the Shihoin Manor for a training session.

During the battle, Yoruichi was annoying me to no end and suddenly it happened. Yoruichi quickly ended the training session and advised me to have better control of my emotions, further concluding that my bankai, as well as my shikai, really relied on the control of emotions. She also advised me to experiment with my bankai, saying that she saw a lot of potential in my bankai and that it could have plenty of different forms. In the end, she was right.

"Captain Kuchiki, what are you going to do with 7th seat Yamada and the man from the Shiba Clan?" asks Ukitake as he looks at Byakuya with a curious look.

"I've lost my interest in these two. Do what you want with them." states Byakuya coldly as he and Senbonzakura walk past the rest of us.

"Captain Kuchiki wait!" exclaims Ukitake, but alas, his call was in vain as the two shunpo away. He then turns to me.

"How do you live with a guy like that?" asks Ukitake with a small smile.

"Lots of practice." I answer him as I look at Rukia, who looks at us with an unreasonable expression.

"I'll take care of the others Minata. You can go back to your division." says Ukitake in a fatherly tone.

"You sure?" I ask him as I put my hands in my pockets. He nods yes.

"Okay then. Let's go Mizukiri." I say as I walk away from the scene.

"After you." she says sarcastically as she follows after me.

This day was very interesting. For some reason, I feel like the future is going to be even worse.

End of Chapter 9

**A/N: Please review**


	10. Bankais and Conflicts

Chapter 10: Bankais and Conflicts

_Minata's_ _POV_

As I walk through the halls of the Kuchiki Manor by myself, I let my thoughts wander aimlessly until the thought of Rukia's execution appears in my thought process.

Yesterday, word was sent out that Rukia's execution would be moved up even further from what was originally planned, which is troubling.

The Central 46 are known for taking their time to think and consult with each other before making a final decision. The thing is, their last few decisions concerning Rukia's execution have been fairly hasty, in my opinion.

Something, is definitely amiss, but I can't put my finger on it.

"Mina?" calls an all too familiar voice from right behind me, startling me enough to break me out of my thoughts.

"Byakuya" I address him in a simple tone as I turn to look at him. We haven't talked much since that incident concerning that Ichigo boy. I just left Byakuya to himself, considering he has a lot on his noble plate.

"I need to talk to you about something important." he tells me with a blank stare.

"Alright then; I'm all ears. What do you want to talk to me about?" I ask him as I raise an eyebrow at my friend.

"Not here." he tells me as he nods his head to two of his family members just down the hallway.

I nod my head in understanding and I follow him to one of the spare guest rooms that were littered throughout the manor. He lets me walk into the well-furnished room first before walking in behind me, closing the door behind him with a soft thud.

"Byakuya?" I start to ask, but he cuts me off before I can utter another word.

"Do you believe that the Central 46 are making their decisions a little too hasty these past few days?" he asks me with disheartened eyes, showing me all the stress he's been going through with just one look.

"Actuallly, I was just thinking about it myself before you found me in the hallway. The Central 46 are acting a little too quickly on their recent decisions. Do you think they are moving it up because of the ryokas invading the Soul Society?" I ask him as the thought suddenly comes into my mind.

"It's probably the most likely option." he tells me as he crosses his arms in a disgruntled fashion.

"What brought this all up Byakuya? Before this talk, you didn't seem like you even care whether Rukia was going to die or not." I suddenly tell him as I raise an eyebrow at him.

"Let's just say I feel very conflicted right now." he tells me as he takes a seat in one of the chairs. I sit in the seat next to him.

"You feel conflicted because you are at a crossroads. You are torn between your duty to your family, the 13 Court Guard Squads, and the promise you made to Hisana." I tell him as I cross my arms.

He looks at me with tired eyes and nods in understanding.

"On one hand, I am the leader of the Kuchiki Clan, one of the Four Great Noble Houses of Soul Society. Plus, I am the Captain of the Sixth Division, known for its nobility and law abiding strictness. It will look absolutely horrendous if I even think about going against the Soul Society's laws." he tells me as he looks blankly to the wall.

"And on the other hand, you promised Hisana that you would take care of her sister as her dying wish. It's one big old conflict." I say as I begin to weigh the options.

Byakuya looks at me with a conflicted look on his face before speaking again.

"Minata, after I adopted Rukia into my family, I made a promise on my parents' grave that I would never do anything that would bring shame to my family." he tells me in a solemn voice.

"That's . . . a very big promise that you made. And you have no intention to break that promise?" I ask him with one of my eyebrows raised.

He doesn't speak a word to answer my question. He nods a silent yes instead.

"Looks like all we can do is wait and see what happens. Only time will tell whether there will be a good or bad ending to all this. Hopefully, there won't be any surprises in the end." I say as I look at a painting of cherry trees on the middle of the wall.

"Hopefully." he says in agreement.

"Byakuya, have you even spoken to your grandfather about this?" I ask him out of curiosity.

"Actually, I haven't. You are the only person that I have spoken to about this." he tells me as he finally looks at me with a serious gaze. His gray eyes are virtually unreadable.

"I see." I say to him as I move my gaze away from his. I see a slight hint of what appears to be nervousness appear in his eyes before I move my gaze back to the wall.

"Minata, I have one more question to ask you." he tells me with slight urgency.

"Ask away." I tell him nonchalantly as I move my gaze to the ceiling.

"When and how did you achieve your bankai?"

_Byakuya's POV_

My question doesn't take her by surprise as she sighs in defeat and looks in my direction once again.

"After what happened with Yoruichi and the ryoka at the prison tower, I had a feeling you were going to ask me that question." she says in defeat as she lets her arms fall limp to her sides.

"What happened?" I say with a little urgency in my voice.

"I lost my composure." she says flatly.

"What do you mean?" I ask her, curious to hear about the story of her bankai.

"It happened many years ago; a few days before Yoruichi deserted her post as the 2nd Division Captain to be exact. I was visiting the Shihoin Manor for a training session with Yoruichi when it happened." she tells me as her amethyst colored eyes begin to dim as she reflects on her past.

"Go on." I say as I egg her on.

"Yoruichi was pushing me to my limits. That day, she seemed to have a lot on her mind and she was very agitated because of it. I was getting more and more tired by the hour, but she kept pushing me to practice my swordsmanship more. And that was when I finally lost it."

"You got mad?" I question her as I raise an eyebrow. Over the years, I have known Minata long enough to know that she is a calm and collected fighter in battle who never gets angry or is baited by her enemies. Hearing that she lost her temper is strange to say the least.

"Yes I got mad, but it was my anger that led me to achieve my bankai. In order to achieve bankai, a shinigami must be in complete harmony with his or her zanpakutou. Before I achieved bankai, Mizukiri and I were never in harmony." she tells me with a slightly smug look.

"If I remember correctly, Mizukiri was a calm spirit that was reluctant to fight at first and tried in any way possible to avoid fighting. You on the other hand, was a prank loving tomboy who got easily excited and sometimed did things without thinking." I say with a slight smirk.

"Two conflicting personalities at best, but we finally came together because we got fed up with Yoruichi's harsh training regimen. Once we were in complete harmony, we achieved the one thing that all shinigami aspire for."

"Impressive; what happened after that?" I say as I cross my arms again.

"After we achieved bankai, Yoruichi ended our training session. After we talked for a while, we concluded that my bankai definitely depends on my emotions. The more I feel, the more Mizukiri grows in power."

"Mizukiri is an element type zanpakuto. I already know that she has different shikai forms based on the different elements, which are based on the different emotions you feel. So does that mean Mizukiri has different forms of hwer bankai that are based on the different elements?"

"That exactly right Byakuya. Very perceptive of you. Each member of my family has a certain power all to themselves, which they usually share with their zanpakuto. My grandmother has her psychic powers. My aunt Seirin can determine the physical and mental weaknesses of her opponents with just a long look at your face. And then there's me with my connection with the elements." she says with a smile on her face, which is a rarity for her since her parents' passing. Strangely, I feel more content when I see her smile.

"Your ability to manipulate the elements is a very powerful gift. To tell you the truth, I believe that was where the creation of Mizukiri started. So how many forms does Mizukiri have in total?" I ask her with another smirk tugging at my lips.

"That, Byakuya Kuchiki, is confidential. I'll tell you when I actually do need to use my bankai in a fight." she tells me as she crosses her arms again.

"Okay then, but as a friend, I should give you some advice."

"And that is?" she asks me with an eyebrow raised and curiosity present in her tone of voice.

"Don't let your emotions overtake you. Your zanpakuto is one of the kinds that really does depend on emotions. The more you feel, the more your powers can get out of control." I say with a knowing look.

"Thank you for your concern. I'll keep that in mind." she says as she looks at the door. I turn and look to see the shadowy outlines of our zanpakutos in front of the door.

"Do you two need something?" calls Minata as she starts to get up from her seat.

"Ginrei is looking for you two. It's time for your weekly tea with him." says Senbonzakura as he slides the door open, letting the sunlight bathe the room.

"What's been in going in here?" asks Mizukiri as she raises a blonde eyebrow at us as she looks around the room.

"Nothing of your concern." I say flatly as I get up from my seat and walk out the door, everyone else walking after me.

"If you say so." mumbles Mizukiri as she crosses her arms as we walk to the tea room.

I let a small smirk appear on my lips before I lerase it from my face.

Times really have changed. Hopefully, they change in my favor.

End of chapter 10

**A/N: I just love it when two characters just have a nice conversation with each other. There's more to come, so look out for updates. Please review.**


	11. Execution Day Part 1

Chapter 11: Execution Day Part 1

_Byakuya's POV_

It is officially the day of Rukia's execution and I'm not too pleased about it.

As I walk to Hisana's shrine, I reflect on all the things I've done in the past to see why the universe has decided to punish me so.

I've already reached the shrine room and so far I figure the universe just really does not like me right now.

The shrine room is a place I come to remember my beloved. The one who was taken away from me after only five years of marriage. The one I loved, but says she didn't love me the way she wanted to. The one Rukia would call sister if she knew.

I sit on my knees and say my usual prayers in front of Hisana's photo, hoping I have a good and peaceful day, but knowing that prayer is futile.

I open my eyes to see Hisana's still figure in the photo staring right at me, her violet orbs piercing my soul. It's been fifty years since her passing and I have already completed the mourning period customary for nobles. The clan elders will be getting on my back about remarrying soon, but I don't have the slightest interest in women right now. Well, except for two.

My late wife is one. My best friend is the other. And speaking of best friends . . .

"Yes Minata?" I ask her as I turn my attention to the doorway to see my friend dressed in her Soul Reaper attire with Senbonzakura and Mizukiri on either side of her.

"It's time Byakuya. Rukia's execution is going to start soon." she says in a solemn voice.

"So it is." I tell her as I rise from my spot on the floor. I turn back to the photo of Hisana.

"Goodbye my sweet Hisana." I whisper to the photo as I walk towards the entrance. I stop myself when I stand side by side next to Minata.

"It's okay if you want to pay your respects to Hisana. You're welcome to visit the shrine." I tell her in a sincere voice.

"That's okay Byakuya. I'll pay my respects later." says Minata as she looks at the shrine with sad eyes.

When Hisana first came to the Manor, Minata was the first person to welcome her with open arms. She helped Hisana get situated into the noble lifestyle and eventually became her first friend during her time in the Manor. They grew real close during that time and when Hisana died, Minata took the news well, but it hit her hard in the end.

"As you wish Minata. Let's go." I say as I make my way down the hall, followed by Senbonzakura, Mizukiri, and finally Minata.

The streets are solemnly empty as we make our way to Sokyoku Hill and we all know why. The execution of a fellow shinigami is something that effects all the Divisions, not just the division te shinigami came from.

We walk in silence for the majority of the trip, but that's when I sense that Minata's spiritual pressure is starting to fall behind. I turn around to see her 20 feet away from the rest of us.

"Is there something wrong?" I ask her as I raise an eyebrow at her.

"Renji." she answered simply as she points forward.

I turn back around to see my lieutenant standing 30 feet away from the rest of us.

"Hello Captain Kuchiki." he greets me in a plain tone, but I can sense the malice in his voice.

"How did you get out of your holding cell?" I say as I feel my eyes narrow at my defiant lieutenant.

"I fought my way out. I didn't want to hurt my fellow Sixth Division members, but they were in my way of saving Rukia." says Renji as he and his zanpakuto Zabimaru's spiritual pressure began to flare up.

"You do know that I will not allow you to do that now that I know what your true intentions are, right?" I ask him in a cold tone as Senbonzakura returns to sword form.

"So be it." says Renji in a cold tone as Zabimaru returns to its sword form as well.

I raise my blade in front of my face. "Scatter, Senbon-"

I cut myself off as Renji stops Senbonzakura before he can fully transform. The more surprising thing is that Zabimaru is in its Shikai form, but Renji never said its command.

"_Master?"_ asks Senbonzakura in complete surprise.

"How in the world did your blade transform into its Shikai form without you saying its command?" I ask him in a frozen tone.

"For years, there was only one man that I wanted to surpass in all of Soul Society and that man is you Captain Kuchiki." explains Renji as he stares me down.

"Do you really think you can beat me?" I ask him.

"At first, I never thought I could, but I wanted to try. I wanted to beat you. So I trained for years and now I'm going to show you the results of my training." says Renji as he retracts Zabimaru.

"The results?" I ask as I raise an eyebrow.

"Yes. To put it simply, Bankai!" he yells as red spiritual energy engulfs his body.

First I find out that my best friend has a Bankai, and now I get to witness my lieutenant's Bankai.

The universe just hates me.

_Minata's POV_

My eyes slowly widen as the smoke clears to reveal Renji's Bankai.

"That's one large snake!" exclaims Mizukiri as she looks at the giant figure who is being held by the tail by Renji.

"You can say that again Mizukiri." I tell her as I observe the large snake creature.

"What is the name of your Bankai?" asks Byakuya in a stoic tone.

"My Bankai's name is Hihio Zabimaru." answers Renji. The snake lets out an instant roar at the sound of its name.

"When did you acquire your Bankai?" Byakuya further questions his lieutenant.

"You will never know, since you never bothered to care for your subordinates in the first place." says Renji with malice now evident in his voice.

I notice Byakuya's back stiffen at the comment.

"Minata, go on ahead. Tell the other captains that I'm running a little late." says Byakuya without looking at me or averting his gaze from Renji.

"NO!" yells Renji. "I want at least one witness to your defeat."

"Captain Kuchiki?" I question, slightly unsure of what to do next.

"So be it Abarai, but Minata will only be witnessing your defeat."

I'll take that as my permission to stay.

"Trust me when I say this Captain Kuchiki. You will fall to one knee during this battle." says Abarai with a smirk.

"If I end up doing that, then I truly would have to kill you. Your defiance will be your downfall." says Byakuya as he gets into a battle stance.

"Will see about that." says Renji as he gets into his own stance.

"Shit is seriously going to hit the fan now." says Mizukiri as she walks over to my side.

"You got that right Mizukiri." I say to her in a tired tone. "You got that right."

End of chapter 11.

**A/N: Please review**


	12. Execution Day Pt 2: Byakuya vs Renji

Chapter 12: Byakuya vs. Renji

_Minata's POV_

"Scatter, Senbonzakura"

Byakuya's zanpakuto obediently obeys its command and disintegrates into a thousand tiny blades, looking like pink sakura petals in the sunlight. They converge around Hihio Zabimaru at a lightning fast pace, breaking it into pieces along the way. All of Hihio Zabimaru's pieces crash to the ground.

"It seems your Bankai is just for show Abarai. It was too slow to move out of my Senbonzakura's path," says Byakuya in his usual stoic tone as the blades move back over to his side of the battlefield.

"That's not the end of it though." says Renji with a smirk as I notice the mischievous look in his eye.

I look out into the battlefield to see that some of Zabimaru's parts are starting to move on their own to reconnect itself. Suddenly, the head of the snake beast jumps up and blasts a large ball of red spiritual energy right at Byakuya.

Byakuya shunpos out of the way before the spiritual energy has a chance to hit him. My zanpakuto and I move out of the way after him before the blast has a chance to hit us.

We both land about 20 feet from our original location. I turn my head to see that Byakuya is kneeling at his position a few feet behind Renji.

"Looks like I could get you on one knee after all, Captain Kuchiki." says Renji with a smirk as he turns to face him. Hihio Zabimaru has already reconstructed itself to its original form and returns to Renji's grasp.

"You'll regret doing that." states Byakuya coldly as he points his finger as his disobedient lieutenant.

"And how are you going to react?" asks Renji in a pissed tone.

"Simple. Hado #33 Sokatsui!"

From Byakuya's palm, a large torrent of blue spirit energy explodes from his hand and heads directly for Renji, covering the battlefield.

"SHIT!" I hear him exclaim as he is unable to move his bankai out of the way.

Hihio Zabimaru takes a direct hit from the blast and roars in frustration as its movements are now restricted.

"Dammit!" exclaims Renji in frustration as he tries to move it at Byakuya for another attack.

As it nears Byakuya's position, Hihio Zabimaru starts to prepare another ball of spirit energy. Suddenly, the creature implodes on itself.

"Bakudo #61 Rikujokoro."

Six beams of light appear from Byakuya's finger and instantly stab themselves into Renji's midsection, rendering him immobile.

"Oh no! I can't move my body!" comments Renji as he tries in vain to move him already immobilized feet and arms.

"That's the whole point of the spell," says Byakuya as he turns to me. "Third Seat Fukudome, I suggest you and your zanpakuto move to a position behind me."

From the serious look in his eye, I realize what Byakuya's planning to do. It's definitely not going to end well for Renji.

"Let's go Mizukiri!"

"Yes master!" she tells me as we both shunpo to a position a few feet behind Byakuya.

"What are you going to do now?" asks Renji as I see the fear start to show in his eyes.

"You of all people should know. Since you have decided to disregard and disobey my orders, you only deserve the most severe punishment that I can give you." says Byakuya as his voice gets colder and colder.

Renji's eyes start to widen as he realizes what Byakuya's sentence means.

Bankai

* * *

_Byakuya's POV_

"Bankai" I say as I drop my sword into the concrete.

As my blade enters the ground, small ripples of energy appear and the area begins to go dark. Then, out of the ground appear two rows of giant blades more than twice my size, surrounding Renji and myself.

"This . . . This is . . ." says my lieutenant as he stares at the blades in horror. I decide to be courteous and finish his sentence for him.

"This is my bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi. You should be honored Renji, not many people die at the hands of my bankai. You are actually the first in a longtime." I tell him with my usual stoic expression.

All Renji does is stare at me with frightened eyes. No words come from his tongue.

"This is the end." I tell him, sounding like death itself.

The giant blades dissipate into miniscule blades and start to surround my lieutenant. All I can do is watch as I mentally command my blades to attack Renji. The blades swarm him and all I can hear are the sounds of my blade slicing into flesh. I let the attack continue for a few more minutes before I call back my bankai. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi instantly obeys and moves away from my lieutenant, now sprawled on the ground in his own pool of blood.

I decide to walk over to my lieutenant and become greatly surprised when I see that his chest is still moving.

"I congratulate you Renji. You managed to stay in one piece even after my bankai's assault." I tell him as I observe his forlorn form.

"I'm . . . not going . . . to give up." he says in a few tired breaths as he suddenly lunges toward me with his blade in hand.

I sense his attack instantly and command Senbonzakura to immobilize him. The attack is successful and Renji collapses to the ground once again. I look around the battlefield to see a certain object is missing.

"I see that you bankai has disappeared. It's too immature. You never had a chance in beating with me with such a young bankai." I tell him as I look away from him.

"I swore on my soul that I would save Rukia. I'M NOT GOING TO BREAK THAT PROMISE!"

I turn to my lieutenant just in time to receive a small cut on my arm thanks to his blade. It soon breaks apart on contact before Renji collapses to the ground for the third time.

I observe his forlorn body, ready to stop his attack when I soon realize that he does not have any more energy for another attack.

"Hn," I say as I take off my treasured scarf and throw it over him. The silk fabric falls freely in the air, draping over Renji's wounded body on landing.

"I should congratulate you again Abarai. Not many can land, at least, a superficial wound on me. You fought well, but you will never beat me. We are like the monkey and the moon. Even though the monkey tries and tries to reach it, it can never touch the celestial moon. The monkey is not at the moon's level."

I turn away from my lieutenant for the last time as I walk over to my friend and her zanpakuto. Along the way, Senbonzakura materializes at my side.

"You gave him your prized scarf? Why?" Minata asks me as she raises one of her well coifed eyebrows.

"Renji proved that he can at least fight someone as high ranking as a captain, but he still has a lot to learn," I tell her with a stoic look. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes; we better get moving though. The execution starts any minute now." she tells me as we start to shunpo to Sogyoku Hill.

I nod my head as we leave, but I just know that my day will go from bad to worse.

End of chapter 12

**A/N: Please review**

**Birthdays**

**March 30: Mayuri Kurotsuchi (Bleach)**

** Nemu Kurotsuchi (Bleach)**


	13. The Ryoka Returns

Chapter 13: The Ryoka Returns

_Byakuya's POV_

"We're finally here." comments Minata as we finally see the execution site appear in the near distance, the giant halbred used tio execute shinigami who severely break the law coming into view.

"Finally" I say in agreement as I continue to look forward with an impassive glare.

Ten minutes pass before Minata, our zanpakuto, and myself reach the others at the site. I look around to see that Minata's wasn't going to be the only third seat at the occasion as I see the 13th Division third seats standing at the side, their captain nowhere to be seen.

I can feel my sister's stare bore a hole right through me, but I don't even bother to look at her face to face.

"It's time to commence the execution. Do you have any last words Rukia Kuchiki?" I hear Captain Commander ask her in his old, gruff voice as Senbonzakura and I move to our spots on line next to Captain Unohana and her zanpakuto Minazuki. Minata and Mizukiri walk to their positions at Captain Commander's side.

"All I ask is for one thing Captain Commander Yamamoto. Please let the ryokas leave Soul Society unharmed." I hear her say in a saddened voice as I stare straight ahead.

I look at Captain Commander to see that he nods his head once in answer, but I know that it is just for show. Knowing Captain Commander, he's not going to let those ryokas go unpunished for the trouble they caused in the Soul Society.

I finally look to see my sister with a content look on her face, most likely because she's falling for the ruse. But her actions are not normal. Most convicts would be scared out of their minds when facing the Sokyoku, but Rukia is surprisingly calm. Is it because she thinks the humans she befriended will be safe? Or does she believe that everyone's problems will be over once she is gone?

The ceremony begins without interruption as Rukia is lifted into the air and the Sokyoku fire bird, Kikoo, is released from its seal. I continue to observe my sister's face and see that it hasn't changed one bit.

"_She's actually going through with this. Like she has no regrets."_ I think to myself as the fire bird starts to move towards my sister for the kill.

But then, it stops.

"Now what the hell is going on!" calls Captain Soi Fon as she looks on confused.

"It appears the bird has been stopped by someone near the beam." answers her zanpakuto Suzemubachi as she flies around her master's head.

I turn my attention to the bird's face before following its gaze to the mysterious intruder. My eyes widen for a split second before returning to a neutral expression.

"Master, is that who I think it is?" asks Senbonzakura at my side as he walks a foot ahead me.

"Indeed it is Senbonzakura. It's that accursed Kurosaki boy again." I say with a slight scowl as I watch him dispatch the bird and free my sister.

"That's impossible! No one should be able to stop Kikoo!" exclaims Soi Fon in anger as she watches the scene unfold right in front of our eyes.

The Kurosaki boy pays no attention to any of us as I watch him say a few words to my sister. He then looks out into the distance and smiles as he must have seen a familiar sight.

"Hey Renji! Catch!" he yells as he indisputably throws my sister like a missile.

"Renji?" I whisper to myself as I turn to see my lieutenant, fairly healed, looking on franticly as my sister barrels right toward him. Lucky for him, he catches her, but her momentum sends them straight to the ground.

"WHAT THE HELL ICHIGO! YOU COULD HAVE KILLED BOTH OF US!" screams Renji as he sits up with a frantic expression on his face.

"I'M NOT A RAG DALL YOU DAMN ORANGE HAIRED BASTARD!" adds my sister as she gets up from her spot on the ground.

"Renji! Get Rukia out of here!"

The two look at the orangette with stunned expressions on their faces.

"Ichigo?" whispers Rukia as she looks at him with a curious expression.

"Don't let me repeat myself you guys! Renji, get Rukia somewhere safe. I'll handle things here!" exclaims the orangette as he jumps back down to ground level.

"Ichigo wait!" exclaims Rukia as Renji takes her in his arms and starts to run in the opposite direction.

The Sokyoku bird moves to attack Ichigo, but it is soon destroyed by a mysterious power. I turn to see that the culprit, or culprits, are Captain Kyoraku and Captain Ukitake, who's holding a peculiar object with the Shiohin seal on its front. The Shiohin Shield to be exact. Ukitake and Kyoraku turn to Captain Commander, who gives them a disapproving stare.

"What do you think you fools are doing? Stop him!" exclaims Captain Soi Fon as she points at Ichigo while staring at a few of the lieutenants.

They hesitate at first, but then the 2nd's lieutenant, the 1st's lieutenant, and surprisingly, the 4th's lieutenant unleash their weapons, their zanpakutos changing into their shikai forms.

"You better give up now intruder cause we're going to stop ya!" exclaims Lieutenant Oomaeda as he holds onto his Gegetsuburi.

The ryoka only gives him one look before smashing Gegetsuburi with his fist and knocking Oomaeda out cold.

"What the?" exclaims Captain Soi Fon as she is mysteriously taken away by a blur of orange which I can easily guess is Yoruichi as the two fall off the cliff.

"Let's go." I say to Senbonzakura as I outstretch my hand.

"Yes master." responds my zanpakutou as he transforms into his sword form.

"Oomaeda!" exclaims Lieutenant Kotetsu as she is knocked away by the Kurosaki boy, along with Lieutenant Sasakibe.

I move to strike him from behind, but his reflexes allow him to block my attack.

"Long time no see huh Byakuya?" he asks me with a cocky grin.

"Too bad this will be your last fight." I say with a cold stare to match.

The boy looks at me with a scowl before pushing me back with the force of his sword. I land a few feet away from him with my sword positioned in front of me.

"It's time we finished what we started Byakuya Kuchiki." yells the Kurosaki boy as he points his zanpakuto threateningly at me.

I don't answer, but I do agree with him.

It's time we finish this.

End of chapter 13

**A/N: Please review!**

**Birthdays**

**March 14: Riruka Dokugamine (Bleach)**


	14. And the Fight Begins

Chapter 14: And the Fight Begins

_Minata's POV_

"Minata-san, will you stay here and observe the battle between Captain Kuchiki and the ryoka?"

"Yes Captain Commander, but what are you going to do?" I ask the man as we continue to stare at Captain Kyoraku and Captain Ukitake, who still holds onto the Shihoin seal firmly in his grasp.

"I'm going to teach my old pupils a lesson." he tells me in his gruff voice.

At this bit of news, Kyoraku's face contorts into that of urgency as he grabs Ukitake's cloak and shunpos away with him. The Captain Commander doesn't hesitate in the slightest bit as he shunpos away a second after them.

"What now master?"

I turn to Mizukiri, who stands behind me with a curious look on her face.

"Simple Kiri; we do what the Captain Commander orders us to do." I tell her as I start to walk over to where Byakuya and the ryoka have reached a stalemate. It takes me about another ten feet of walking before I'm in hearing range.

"Why are you letting this happen? Don't you care for your sister? Why are you doing nothing when your sister was about to be executed just a few minutes ago right in front of your eyes?" the ryoka asks with malice in his voice as he continues to point his Zangetsu at Byakuya.

I watch as Byakuya holds his Senbonzakura in both of his hands as he stares at the ryoka with cold eyes. "A person like you would not understand."

Byakuya instantly shunpos right behind the ryoka boy. He moves to strike him in the back, but the ryoka senses this in time and blocks the hit with his zanpakuto.

"I'm not going to fall for a move like that again." says the ryoka as he grits his teeth at Byakuya.

"You have interrupted the execution and thanks to Captain Ukitake and Captain Kyoraku, the Sokyoku won't be able to complete it. If I have to, I will kill Rukia myself after I kill you." says Byakuya coldly as he begins to make the ryoka move a step back.

"WHAT?" asks the orange haired ryoka as he pushes Byakuya back. He tries to take a swipe at Byakuya's neck, but Byakuya quickly dodges it and moves a few feet away.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura" whispers Byakuya as he raises his blade in front of his face. Senbonzakura instantly glows as he disperses into thousands of miniscule blades. The blades start to head for the ryoka, but I notice that a shroud of his spiritual energy envelops his Zangetsu.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" roars the ryoka as he swings his blade, letting a huge amount of spiritual energy in the shape of a crescent moon shoot straight for Byakuya. The strike is only half a foot away from Byakuya before he commands Senbonzakura to intervene and block the attack. After the smoke clears, I see that Byakuya is barely damaged, except for his left hand, which is now covered in his blood.

"No way" whispers Mizukiri as we watch the scene unfold in front of our eyes.

"This battle has just gotten a bit more interesting." I say under my breath as Byakuya checks his left hand.

"Looks like I have underestimated you Kurosaki. You don't deserve to die by shikai. You deserve a fate far worse than that." says Byakuya as Senbonzakura returns to its hilt. That's when he points his zanpakuto downward to the earth.

"Is he planning to use his bankai?" asks Mizukiri as she takes a step forward.

"Indeed he does." I tell her as we watch as Senbonzakura disappears into the earth. The area starts to turn a bluish black.

"What the hell is going on here?" asks the Kurosaki boy as he looks around at his surroundings.

"You are watching the beginnings of your death Ichigo Kurosaki. This is the end for you and your pathetic rescue mission." Byakuya says coldly to the orange haired boy as giant blades that are easily more than twice his size begins to rise from the ground on either side of him and Ichigo.

"The 'end'?" asks Ichigo as he opens his eyes in realization.

"Indeed; this is my zanpakuto's final form: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." explains Byakuya as the blades break into thousands and thousands of tiny sword fragments. They swirl around the two until they start to only swarm around the ryoka. They attack from all sides and the ryoka has nowhere to escape. The blades push him down to the ground and he's enveloped into a sea of pink.

"Is it done?"

I turn to look at Mizukiri as a confused look graces her features.

"Is it really over?" she asks again, still unsure of the outcome.

"We'll know when Byakuya removes his zanpaktou from the ryoka's body. If his body is even still fully intact, that's the miracle in itself." I tell her as I turn my attention back to the field to see that Byakuya is staring straight at me with his steel gray orbs. All I see within them is conflict as I watch as he commands his blade to move away from the ryoka. When they disperse, a large crater takes the place of where the ryoka last stood. After a closer examination, I see that the ryoka is laying down on the ground face first. His arm twitches, signaling that he's not done yet.

"I'll admit this Ichigo Kurosaki. Not many have been able to put up a good fight like you have, but you should just quit and stand down while you still can." Byakuya states coldly as he walks over to the edge of the crater.

"I should have known. I should have known that fighting you with just my shikai would do me no good." I hear the ryoka mumble as he slowly gets up from his position on the ground.

"Why do you speak like you've achieved bankai?" Byakuya asks him blankly, but I can just hear the hint of curiosity in his tone.

"It's better if I show you." he tells him with a smug smirk as he points his blade forward with his right hand. He grabs the middle of his arm with his left one as his spiritual pressure begins to increase to a peak that I have never felt before from the young ryoka.

"BANKAI!"

"What the heck is this?" Mizukiri asks us as a large beam of spiritual energy begins to glow from the crater, completely covering the orangette

I turn to Byakuya to see that his expression has never changed even as we feel the teenager's spiritual pressure rise higher and higher.

I look at my zanpaktou to give her an answer.

"We're about to find out"

**A/N: Please review!**

**Birthdays: **

**May 5: Deidara (Naruto) and Marechiyo Oomaeda (Bleach)**

**May 7: Ggio Vega (Bleach)**

**May 10: Shinji Hirako (Bleach)**


	15. The Ryoka's Bankai

Chapter 15: The Ryoka's Bankai

_Minata's POV_

The large pillar of spiritual pressure dissipates into the atmosphere and as I look up into the sky, I see that the clouds are completely gone.

"His spiritual pressure is off the charts. It easily matches a captain's own." whispers Mizukiri as we turn our attention back to the crater in the ground. Byakuya's expression is still the same as he looks at the scene before him.

"What is this?" he says stoically as the smoke clears away. "Is this supposed to be your bankai?"

"Someone's having doubts." whispers Mizukiri as she takes a step forward, but I hold her back.

"Don't get too close Mizukiri. Remember Captain Commander's orders, we're only supposed to observe the battle, not interfere with it." I tell her condescendingly.

"You're right. My apologies master, if you believe I was going to interfere, but I wasn't. I just wanted a closer look that's all." she tells me apologetically as she retakes her position at my side.

"You are forgiven." I tell her with a samm smile as I turn towards the battlefield.

"What is that? Is that supposed to be your bankai?" asks Byakuya as he continues to look at the ryoka with cold eyes.

"Mm, I knew you wouldn't believe me once you saw it, but don't be deceived by its small size. This is indeed my zanpakuto's bankai form." responds the ryoka, whose voice ebbs with confidence.

"The bankai of a zanpakuto is known not only to be greater in power, but also larger in appearance than its shikai form, If you are saying that that is your zanpakuto's bankai form compared to its shikai form, you are just making a mockery of the Gotei 13." Byakuya answers him back, each word said even colder than the last.

"You will be eating those words once you get a taste of Tensa Zangetzu's power." responds the ryoka as I feel his spiritual pressure begin to elevate.

"Tensa Zangetsu is the name of your bankai?" asks Byakuya as he begins to raise his hand.

"Yes" responds the ryoka firmly.

"Your bankai is a fluke. This match will end here and now." says the sixth division captain as he points his hand forward, commanding his zanpakuto to attack.

The miniscule blades begin to dance in the air before they swarm over the ryoka, but the ryoka manages to disappear before the blades can touch him.

"Now where did he go now?" asks Mizukiri as she looks around the area.

I quickly scan the area with my eyes before I return my attention to Byakuya, whose eyes go wide; the first time I've seen them do that in years.

"Oh my" I whisper to myself as I see why Byakuya seems so caught off-guard.

The tip of Ichigo's blade is an inch away from Byakuya's neck.

* * *

_Byakuya's POV_

_This isn't possible._

My eyes move downward till they lock on straight at the putrid ryoka as he holds his pitch black blade an inch away from my neck.

"Byakuya Kuchiki, is it your pride that prevents you from doing anything to stop Rukia's execution?"

I let out a sharp breath as I let his words sink in, but I don't answer him.

"I'll ask you again. Is it your accursed pride that stops you from preventing your sister's execution?" he asks me as his voice becomes strained, like he is afraid to hear my answer.

"That is none of your concern." I tell him coldly as Senbonzakura's blade fragments fly throughout the air.

"I see, because if it is your pride that prevents you from doing anything, then I will step all over it."

He shunpos a few feet back so that we are at least 10 feet away from each other. I narrow my eyes at him for his foolish decision.

"You are an arrogant fool for not attacking me when you had the chance." I say in a cold yet strong voice as I telepathically command my blade to attack. Senbonzakura obediently obeys as he launches himself forward to attack the ryoka, but he shunpos out of the way before Senbonzakura can make contact.

"That is not going to work against me." I say to the ryoka as I feel his spiritual pressure right behind me. I turn my head to see the ryoka trying to cut through Senbonzakura's blades as he protects me. A small torrent of Senbonzakura's blades emerges from the shield to attack the ryoka, but he dodges them once again.

I turn my head to see Minata and her zanpakuro Mizukiri looking up at the sky, and I look for myself to see the ryoka in the sky, dodging the blades as they come after him. I move my hand, and Senbonzakura moves with me as we continue to chase after him, but he dodges our attack every time. I start to feel slightly frustrated as the ryoka keeps dodging attack after attack like the weasel he is.

_Master, I can't seem to catch up to him. His speed is unbelievable._

Senbonzakura's words echo through my thoughts as his words finally sink in. The ryoka hasn't been outwitting us.

He's just been downright faster than us.

"What's wrong Byakuya? Can't catch up with me?" mocks the ryoka as he begins to run circles around me.

"I will make you eat those words Ichigo Kurosaki." I tell him as I begin to use my hand to command Senbonzakura's movements. Minutes pass, but not even with the added use of my hand to command Senbonzakura's movements can help me catch the Kurosaki boy. As he cuts down every single blade that tries to attack him, I never really sense his presence again till after he stabs me with his sword.

"Now I see it," I say in slight realization as the ryoka backs away again. "So that's how your bankai works. Your zanpakuto is so small because you have compressed your spiritual pressure into the blade, allowing for high speed attacks."

"That's the basic gist of it." he tells me as he readies his sword for another attack.

"Let's put an end to that shall we?" I ask as the environment begins to darken once again. Senbonzakura transforms into hundreds of pink blades, surrounding us in a large dome.

"Put n end to it? . . .Tch, just you try!" he yells to me in defiance as he decides to attack me head on. I block him just in time and just as out battle continues, I notice a slight change in his movements.

"You are getting slower Ichigo Kurosaki." I tell him as our blades continue to block each other.

"What's it to you?" he asks me defiantly as he continues to hack away.

I narrow my eyes at his stubbornness as I command one of the dome's blades to come into my hand. I use the blade to stab the Kurosaki boy right through the foot.

"What the. . .?" asks the ryoka dumbfounded as he tries to move his foot. He stress at me with the same expression before turning his attention to my finger, which currently points to his shoulder.

"Hado #4: Byakurai"

The pale lightning blasts a hole clean through the ryoka's shoulder; the attack being at point blank range. The ryoka slumps down to his knees as his blood start to pool out of his wound and onto the ground.

"I commend you Ichigo Kurosaki. Not many opponents that have faced me have reached as far as you have, but you must understand, just like them, it is the end for you." I say to him in my usual stoic manner.

I raise my blade and bring it down for the finishing blow, but the ryoka stops the stack; grabbing my sword with his bare hand..

"What is this?" I say in mild shock as I look into the eyes of something impossible.

Something completely impossible

**A/N: Please review!**

**Birthdays**

**June 3: Momo Hinamori (Bleach)**

**June 5: Luppi Antenor (Bleach)**


	16. The Inner Hollow & The Conniving Captain

Chapter 16: The Inner Hollow & The Conniving Captain(s)

_Byakuya's POV_

"What is this?" I ask in utter disbelief as I observe my opponent. The ryoka begins to cackle in maniacal laughter as he strengthens his grip on Senbonzakura, not caring if his hand draws blood as he clutches the sharp blade.

"What's wrong Kuchiki? Are you scared of being beaten by someone like me?"

I have no time to react as the ryoka draws blood, my blood, slashing me across my chest with his zanpakuto. I back away from the ryoka just as he fires a black version of his Getsuga Tenshou, narrowly missing it as the attack hits the dome behind me instead. After the smoke dissipates, I see that the ryoka's face is going through a transformation.

A Hollow-like transformation.

"What are you Ichigo Kurosaki?" I ask as I ready my blade. "Are you actually a Shinigami? Or are you just a spirit giving in to the Hollow within you? Either way, I will end this battle and you."

"You question who I am? Aren't you snobby? Can't you tell who I am just by looking at me? At the mask on my face? I'm a H-"

My eyes widen as Ichigo instantly goes for the still forming mask, ripping it off with a yell of anger as he did. His droops down as he breathes heavily, dropping the mask to the ground as well.

"Sorry about that. My Inner Hollow couldn't help but want to interfere with our match," he says as he continues to control his breathing. "I suggest we just forget what just happened and continue our fight, if that's all right with you."

"Agreed," I'm amazed that this ryoka actually shows signs of some mannerisms, but that won't be enough to save him. "Ichigo Kurosaki, I now realize that neither of us has that much strength left to continue this match."

"It's agreed then. We finish this fight with the next blow," he says as he readies his weapon. "But let me ask you this Byakuya, why won't you save Rukia from being executed by that fir bird thing?"

"I'll tell you why Ichigo Kurosaki, if you can defeat me." I say as I let my reiatsu grow around me. The white spiritual pressure condenses to cover my sword, forming wing like protrusions coming out from either side. Ichigo's black spiritual pressure swirls around him, filling his Zangetsu with power just as how mine fills Senbonzakura. We move at the same time, both running to the other at regular speed, neither of with enough energy to use shunpo.

And that's when everything became clouded.

* * *

_Minata's POV_

"What power!" I say in amazement as the two reaitsus combine, filling the area with their immense power.

"This is absolutely crazy!" Mizukiri cries out as she covers her eyes from the immense light. I cover my eyes as well until the light fades away, seeing Ichigo and Byakuya, mere feet away from each other, their backs facing each other.

"Who won?" Mizukiri asks curiously as she looks at the two unsurely.

"It's still uncertain." I say with a glum look as I now see the wounds that the two have dealt each other.

"I have a duty to keep."

We all shoot looks at Byakuya, who finally speaks to break the tense silence that surrounded the area.

"A duty?" asks Ichigo as he turns around; managing to ignore the pain his wounds are causing him.

"I am the Captain of the Sixth Division, a member of one of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Along with my duty as the head of one of the Four Great Noble Houses, itwould be considered out of line for someone like me to interrupt and stop Rukia's execution. Distasteful, incorrigible, absolutely outrageous, to say the least; I can't allow myself to break the rules society has dealt us." Byakuya explains as he turns to the side, his stoic stare directly on Ichigo.

"Rules? If I were you, I would fight society's rules!" he yells in defiance as he continues to clutch his sword. "I wouldn't let a few dumb rules get in the way of me saving my friends."

I turn to Byakuya to see him with a contemplative look on his face, like he was thinking over something he saw in his past.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, you have battled well, for someone who has only had his Shinigami powers for just a short time, and your ferocity and power was evident in our match. It has sadly shattered my blade, so therefore, I will no longer pursue Rukia's death."

Mizukiri loudly gasps as I look on with suspicion in mind as Byakuya starts to walk toward us, leaving the ryoka stunned at his actions. Senbonzakura manages to return to his humanoid form as he reaches us.

"Captain Kuchiki?" I ask as Byakuya walks pasts me and my zanpakuto.

"Let's go Mina."

I look at Byakuya's back with an eyebrow raised. He has never addressed me by my pet name during working hours before.

". . . Sure thing Captain Kuchiki." I say as I follow after him, questions building within me as we start to walk away from the battlefield.

"You're curious aren't you?" he asks me as we start to walk down the hill.

"I am; why have you decided to not execute your sister?" I was relieved that Byakuya was no longer going to carry out his plan, but I was curious to why he has stopped his plans.

"I realized the ryoka wasn't really fighting with me. He was really fighting against the Soul Society's rules."

What Byakuya said may confuse most people, but I know the way that he thinks after being friends with him for all these years, so I know the way he thinks.

"Without rules, there would be no stable society. Rules are strict. Rules are meant to keep order, but not all rules are good. I guess some rules are meant to be broken. They may seem easy to break, but not everyone can break them."

"That is so wise of you tosay Minata," Byakuya says to me as we walk into the small forest the lined the middle of the hill. "Did you realize that the ryoka looked very similar to an old comrade?"

"Indeed I have." The ryoka looked just like Kaien, except with orange hair instead of black.

"How do you suppose that is possible?" he asks me as he looks up at the sky.

"Who knows?" I reply, looking to my left to see that Byakuya has suddenly disappeared.

"Master!" replies Mizukiri as Senbonzakura and I begin to turn around.

"I know Mizukiri." I say in a hard voice as we shunpo back to the top of the hill, already feeling the presence of two new, and very familiar reiatsus at the top. We make it there in record time.

Looking on in absolute shock, I see Byakuya holding onto Rukia in his arm as Captain Ichimaru's Shinso is lodged into his side, his other hand holding onto the blade. Both Komamura, Ichigo and Renji are immobilized on the ground, looking on in surprise as Captain Aizen looks on slightly baffled.

Wait, Captain Aizen?

"Captain Aizen is alive?" asks Mizukiri, voicing my disbelief.

"I've been alive all this time my dear." he says as she turns to address us, a small smile on his lips.

"This is unbelievable. You've been playing possum all this time watching in the shadows as the events unfolded. Watching as the Gotei 13 fell into chaos, giving you good opportunity to initiate any plan you may have." I say as I outstretch my hand. Mizukiri emits a light blue glow as she reverts herself into her sword form, a katana with a royal purple hilt and a teardrop shaped guard.

"Very perceptive of you Lady Fukudome," says Aizen with his ever warm smile, but it only looks sinister in my eyes. "But do you really think you can beat us, three captains versus a third seat like yourself?"

"Three captains?" I ask, just as I hear footsteps coming up from right beside me. I turn to see Captain Tousen walk up, his expression ever emotionless.

"You two Captain Tousen," I ask in disbelief as he walks forward to join Aizen. "But why?"

"For justice my dear." he tells me without turning back.

"Stand down Lady Mina. You can't win this fight." replies Gin as I watch his Shinso dislodge from Byakuya, his blood splattering on the rocky earth, making me inwardly squirm at the sight of it.

"NII-SAMA! Are you all right nii-sama?" Rukia asks as Byakuya crumbles to his knees, breathing heavy as he held on to his sister for support.

"I'll be fine, but Third Seat Fukudome, you must stand down. That's an order."

I want to instantly protest, but Byakuya looks at me with his usual stoic expression, even through all that blood. His eyes show traces of sadness and regret, something that I never thought I would see in them, as we lock eyes." I clutch my blade, regretfully loosening it after a tense moment has passed.

"Stand down Mizukiri." I say in defeat as I hold her out, the blade returning to her humanoid form.

"Now that's a good girl." replies Aizen as he turns to me.

"Be mindful Lady Minata, Captain Kuchiki was right to command you to stay down. You may be a woman, but I'm sad to say I would not hesitate to cut you down just like I did with Captain Komamura, Abarai, and the ryoka." replies Captain Aizen as he turns around. "I will not hesitate to kill anyone who interferes with my plans."

"Then you may have to kill us then, cause we plan to stop you."

All of a sudden Yoruichi and Captain Soi Fon appeared, both ready to strike if Aizen made any moves. That's when I noticed that most of the other lieutenants and Captain have arrived back at the scene.

"Yoruichi Shiohin, it's been a while, but alas, not even you can stop me." he tells her confidently just as he is bathed by a pillar of light, Soi Fon and Yoruichi moving out of the way just in time.

"The three of them are covered in the Negacion, the separate world of the Menos Grande used to rescue their own. They are virtually untouchable." says Captain Commander as he appears right next to me. The door to Hueco Mundo appears above us, the Menos Grande yelling their shrill calls as they poke their heads toward us.

"Good bye, my former allies," says Aizen as he ascends upward, along with Tousen and Gin, who are covered in their own pillars of light. "The next time you will see me will be up in the heavens, taking my rightful place among the gods."

They disappear and so does the door, the sky returning to what it was before the pillars of light and the Menos Grande appeared. Members of 4th Division appear around us, tending to the ones that are injured. I turn to Captain Commander to see him staring at me, his eyes filled with wisdom and authority.

"Captain Commander, I . . ."

"There is no need to explain anything Minata. Captain Kuchiki was right to stop you from engaging in battle with Aizen and his subordinates," he says to cut me off, looking over at Byakuya as he is tended to by Captain Unohana. "You may feel like you were worthless in this whole encounter with Aizen, but you shouldn't. It's wise to wait until the right time to strike."

"You are right Captain Commander, but what are we going to do now that Aizen, Gin, and Tousen have got away?"

"Simple; Aizen has shown his hand and now we must show ours. The Gotei 13 is now officially at war." he says to me as he walks away, leaving me and Mizukiri to contemplate his words as Senbonzakura walks over to his master's side.

**Birthdays**

**June 19: Di-Roy Rinker (Bleach)**

**June 20: Sakon/Ukon (Naruto)**

** Karin (Naruto)**

**June 22: Szayel Aporro Grantz (Bleach)**

** Yylfordt Grantz (Bleach)**


	17. A New Bond

**New Characters Introduced:**

1: Akira Fukudome: Seiren's daughter, Minata's cousin, and the 3rd in line to be head of the Fukudome Clan. Current 3rd seat of 2nd Division. Her zanpakuto is Kage Mai. Her clan ability is to control and manipulate shadows.

2: Kage Mai: Akira's zanpakuto. Her humanoid form is that of a teenage girl and a little girl that are half snake and are connected by a chain around their waists. They share their master's ability of manipulating shadows.

* * *

Chapter 17: A New Bond

"Hey Minata!"

Mizukiri and I turn around to see a couple of familiar faces walking down the road toward us as we are making our way to the 4th Division barracks. One was dressed in the exact same uniform as Captain Soi Fon, but she was wearing the same sandals I wear on my own two feet. Her raven colored hair fell wildly down her back till it reached her knees, but some of it was tied up on top of her head in a top knot. Her Fukudome head piece shown in the sunlight as it held her top knot together. The other two faces were the humanoid form of her zanpakuto, Kage Mai. The elder girl, who looked like a teenager, had her silver hair tied up in a milk maid braid that crowned her face. Her eyes were purple with black slits and her forked tongue slid out of her mouth before retreating back. A silver snake tail protruded from the back of her purple and black kimono, which had slits on both sides that reached up to her upper thighs, showing her purple leggings and black sandaled feet. The younger girl looked like a younger version of the elder girl, except her silver hair was in a simple ponytail.

"Akira! Kage Mai!" I say as the two walk up to us. My cousin and her zanpakuto walk up to us with smiles on their faces and I have to look up to look my cousin in the eye since she's 6'2, the tallest female in our family.

"Hello cousin, Mizukiri." says Akira as she acknowledges us. Her zanpakuto, Kage Mai, nods their heads at us. "Where are you two off to on this fine afternoon?"

"We're going to the 4th Division barracks to visit someone. You?" answers Mizukiri as we continue our walk to the barracks.

"We're going to there too. We have to check on a few of our Division members. Let's just say a training exercise went a bit awry for them." says the older half of Kage Mai, who went by the name Shika.

"I see. Let's keep moving then." I say as we continue our walk. We talk about our respective divisions and family business until we reach the 4th Division barracks. As soon as we walk into the building, we are instantly greeted by Vice Captain Kotetsu.

"Minata, Akira, Mizukiri, Kage Mai, it's good to see you all again." the white haired vice-captain says to us as she looks over a clipboard, her face not looking the least bit worried like it usually does.

"It's good to see you too Isane. How's Captain Kuchiki doing today?" I ask as I cross my arms.

"He's healing well. And what can I do for you Akira?" asks Isane as she begins to lead us down the hallway.

"We're here to check on some of our Division members if that's all right with you." answers Kage Mai's younger half, who went by the name Maru, her girly voice echoing through the hallway.

"Of course it is. Captain Unohana is actually checking over their wounds right now. Their rooms are down this way." answers Isane as she points to a hallway on our left.

"Thank you!" calls Kage Mai and Akira as they walk down the hallway, waving goodbye as they did.

"I have to check on a few patients from 11th Division so I'll see you two around. Captain Kuchiki's room is the last door on the left." and with that Isane shunpoes away, leaving me and Mizukiri alone in the hallway.

"Let's go Mizukiri." I say as I turn to my zanpakuto.

"Yes ma'am." answers my zanpakuto as we continue walking. We walk down the hallway and turn a corner till we reached the barracks' northern wing. We walk through the wing till we reach the last door on the left. Taking a deep breath before making my next move, I shoot Mizukiri a look. She nods her head at me silently before turning back to the door. I raise my hand and knock on the door three times, mentally preparing myself to confront my best friend.

"Who is it?" asks the stoic voice from inside as I cross my arms.

"It's me Captain Kuchiki." I say in my strongest tone of voice as I stare at the door.

"Come in Lady Fukudome."

I open the door for Mizukiri and myself, closing the door behind us as we walk inside. I turn around to see Byakuya staring straight at me with his stoic glare while Senbonzakura looked out into the sky as he sat on the windowsill, his arms crossed.

"Third seat Fukudome, I had a feeling you were going to visit me one of these days." says Byakuya in his stoic tone of voice as he gestured to the chair right next to him.

"I would have visited you sooner, but Captain Commander Yamamoto has been putting the entire division through rigorous training exercises to prepare for the upcoming war." I tell him as I take the seat next to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, but I do wish to be discharged soon. I can't stand the incessant noise made by the 11th Division hooligans in the eastern wing." says Byakuya as he moves a strand of hair away from his face.

"I'll put in a good word for you with Captain Unohana to see if you can get an early discharge from the medical barracks." I say as I watch as Mizukiri take a seat next to Senbonzakura on the windowsill, gaining the samurai's attention.

"Thank you." he tells me as he turns to stare out the window. We fall into a comfortable silence that lasts for the next twenty minutes or so, but it was Byakuya who broke it next.

"Senbonzakura, Mizukiri, can you leave us alone for a minute?" asks Byakuya as he turns to the zanpakutos.

"Yes master." answers Senbonzakura as Mizukiri nods her head. The two get up from the windowsill and walk over to the exit. Once they are out of the room, I turn to Byakuya to see him staring at me with his usual stoic expression.

"You want to know the real explanation to why I told you to stand down from fighting Aizen, Tosen, and Gin don't you?" he asks me as I start to see his eyes look defeated.

"It has crossed my mind a few times these last few days." I say as I cross my arms. "I saw the sadness and regret in your eyes when you told me to stand down. Those aren't usual emotions you have on the battlefield, especially if you are a captain."

"That is true. For the past few days, the only thing that I could really thing I could really think about was how I would explain to you my reason for making you stand down. It wasn't just because you were outnumbered three to one. It was because of another reason." he tells me as his gray eyes bore into my purple ones.

"And what could that other reason be Captain Kuchiki?" I ask as I raise an eyebrow.

"I couldn't stand to see you get hurt." he tells me. I instantly let my hands fall to my sides and look away when I let the words sink in.

"I don't mean to undermine your abilities Minata." Byakuya almost hastily says to me as I feel his bandaged hand take my gloved one in his, taking me by surprise, but I don't visibly react. "It's just that I couldn't bear to see you face that cynical lunatic Aizen by yourself."

"So . . . it was all for my welfare." I say as I look up at him. He shakes his head yes for an answer as he looks me in the eyes, but I can easily tell that he's lying. "I could have disobeyed your orders easily, now that I think about it."

"Why not?" he asks me as he raises an eyebrow. "Why didn't you disobey my orders?"

"Well, it definitely wasn't because you are higher in rank then I am." I say with a small chuckle. "When I saw the look in your eyes back on Sogyoku Hill, I saw emotions in them that I haven't seen in a long time. And when I saw the sadness, the regret, in your eyes, I just gave in. I don't really have a specific reason for it. I just gave in."

"I see," he mumbles as I feel his thumb rub circles on the top of my hand. The gentle touch sends shivers down my spine as he looks away, probably thinking about that day back on Sogyoku Hill.

"You are lying to me Captain Kuchiki. My welfare isn't the actual reason to why you commanded me to stop is it?" I ask cautiously as I observe Byakuya's face. He sharply turns to me with surprise in his eyes at my sudden question, most likely wondering how I figured him out. He lets out a deep sigh as he looks away.

"No, it is not." he tells me bluntly as he turns to me. He takes me by surprise and tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear before speaking again. "I wasn't just concerned about your welfare. To tell you the actual truth, I was afraid I would lose you."

This sudden announcement takes me by surprise as I look at him wide eyed. He looks down and I follow his gaze to see that both of his bandaged hands were covering my own.

"You . . . were afraid you were going to lose me." I say, the words sounding foreign on my tongue.

"I was. When I saw you with your blade, ready to fight the three treacherous ex-captains, I was honestly scared for you. You were easily outnumbered by them in numbers and in power. If you went after them by yourself, you could have died. I couldn't watch my best friend die." says Byakuya as I feel his hand on my shoulder.

"You weren't going to lose me." I whisper to myself, hoping that he didn't hear it. But alas, he did.

"You could have died Mina. Do you not get it?" he tells me in a strong voice, countering my words.

"You say you don't mean to undermine my abilities, but I feel I beg to differ." I say as I take my hand away. I get up from my seat and start to walk away from him, but he grabs my wrist to bring me back down to the chair, his eyes boring into mine.

"Why are you being so stubborn Minata?" Byakuya practically hisses at me as he tightens his hold on my wrist.

"We are members of the 13 Court Guard Squads, Byakuya. Our duty is to protect Soul Society, and if that means giving up our lives to do so, then so be it. I'm not being stubborn Byakuya, you are!" I say as I let my powers rear its head. A shock of electricity shocks Byakuya's hand away and he stares at me in surprise as I get up from my seat. I begin to walk away from his bed and I manage to get halfway to the door before Byakuya appears right in front of me, thanks to his shunpo.

"You should return to your bed Captain Kuchiki. You may prolong your injuries." I say without looking at him as I walk around him, but he grabs me by my wrist and pulls me into his chest, taking me completely off guard.

"Captain Kuchiki?" I ask in complete surprise as I look him in the eye, expecting a cold look from him. But instead, I'm greeted with his lips on mine. His lips are soft as they move across my own and I easily succumb to it, instantly feeling the passion and longing in his kiss as I feel his arms wrap around my waist. I start to respond to his kiss after my initial shock passes and I match his intensity full on as our kiss continues.

"You are one very stubborn noble." he says to me as we break our kiss, both of us out of breath as Byakuya continues to hold me in his arms.

"I think I've gotten my stubbornness from all the years I've been around you." I say as I let a small smirk grace my lips. "Are you sure you should be up from bed this early?"

"No, I think I shouldn't." he tells me as he puts an arm around his abdomen.

"Let me help you back to your bed." I put his other arm around my shoulders and help him over to his bed. Once he's situated in his bed, I return to my seat, but Byakuya manages to keep a grip on my hand the entire time.

"Byakuya, what about your mourning period? Aren't you . . . you know?" I say hoping to get my point across by using fewer words as possible.

"I know what you are talking about Minata." he tells me as he looks up at my face. "I have mourned over Hisana's death ever since she passed away 50 years ago, but there has always been one thing she told me that came to me during the Sogyoku Hill standoff, and still reverberates in my mind to this day."

"What?" I ask curiously as I raise an eyebrow.

"She told me that I should not continue to dwell in the past, or else I will miss what's here in the present. I still miss Hisana, but I now believe it's best that I live by her words and start to look toward the future. And I want you to be a part of that future." he tells me as he places a hand on my cheek. "If you will have me."

"Byakuya Kuchiki, are you courting me?" I ask as I let a small smirk grace my lips. He shoots me a stoic look before it softens to that of a friendlier face. He pulls my head towards his and our lips connect once again. I want to wrap my arms around his lean neck, but I resist the urge to do so thanks to his injuries, settling with leaving my hands on my lap.

"HOLY SOUL SOCIETY!"

We instantly break apart and look toward the doorway to see Renji and Zabimaru at the doorway, all of them with their mouths fully agape as they stare at us in complete surprise.

"Abarai, I suggest you and your zanpakuto close your mouths or else you'll catch flies." says Byakuya in his stoic tone of voice. Renji and Zabimaru instantly do what they are told and close their mouths all at once.

"What's going on in here?"

Renji and Zabimaru turn to their lefts and I instantly notice the small blush that appears across his face as my cousin Akira and Kage Mai run into view. He does a quick movement of his eyes, seeing that she was actually taller than him, thanks to her sandals.

"Is everything alright over here?" asks Shika as she crosses her arms at the rest of us.

"Everything is fine Akira, Kage Mai." I say as I look up over at my cousin. "Lieutenant Abarai, I would like you to meet the recently appointed third seat of 2nd Division, my cousin Akira Fukudome, and her zanpakuto, Kage Mai."

"I'm Shika." says the older half.

"I'm Maru." says the younger half. Snakey just stares at her with a blush across his face as Maru waves her hand in front of it to see if she can get his attention.

"Lieutenant Abarai" says Akira with a nod of her head. Renji does a slight nod of his head, but he still stares at her with a blush on his face. "I best be leaving now. I have to report back to Captain Soi Fon. Have a good day everyone."

And with that she and Kage Mai shunpoed away, leaving the rest of alone. Chimpette looks at her two partners, who still have their blushes on their faces, and hits them right across their heads.

"OW!" they yell out in unison as they shoot sharp looks at the two.

"Idiots" mutters Chimpette as she drags them both down the hall by their collars, leaving Byakuya and I alone.

"I think your lieutenant may have a crush on my cousin." I say as I narrow my eyes at the doorway.

"I think you may be right." Byakuya says in agreement as he turns to me. "So Mina, will you partake in a relationship with me?"

I turn with a small smile on my face before answering him. "I would be honored Lord Byakuya."

A small smirk appears across his face as he tightens his hold on my hand. "Thank you Lady Minata."

We lock eyes for a good amount of time before a new though pops into my brain.

"So, how are we going to tell the news to your sister?" I ask as I look out the window to see Mizukiri and Senbonzakura sitting on top of the eastern wing, his arm wrapped around Mizukiri's shoulder as they look out into Soul Society.

"That, my dear, is a bridge we will cross when we come to it." he tells me as he follows my gaze out into the outside world.

**Please review!**


	18. Discharge Day

Chapter 18: Discharge Day

_Byakuya's POV_

"Good news Captain Kuchiki. You are officially healed enough that I can discharge you from my care earlier."

"Thank you Captain Unohana." I say in stoic gratitude, inwardly grateful that Minata was successful in putting in a good word for me with the 4th Division captain.

"You should not be thanking me Captain. You should be thanking Third Seat Fukudome. Minata was the one that convinced me to take a second look at your wounds." she tells me as she walks over to the door, her ghostly zanpakuto Minazuki following right behind her. "I'll have one of my subordinates bring in your robes and I suggest you take it easy today. No going to work till tomorrow at least."

"I'll take your words under consideration Captain. Thank you." I say in an understanding tone of voice.

"Promise?" she asks me with 'the smile' placed creepily on her face.

"Promise" I say with a small sigh, inaudible for her ears as I try to maintain my stoic mask, but that 'smile' just sends cold shivers down my back. The smile disappears as she nods once again, leaving in a flash with her zanpakuto spirit right behind her.

"How can a woman so sweet have a smile so creepy?" asks Senbonzakura as he pokes his head through the window from the outside.

"Senbonzakura, how long have you been outside the window?" I ask as I raise an eyebrow.

"A while; I would have shown my presence sooner, but that smile just stopped me dead in my tracks." he answers me as he hangs his head in shame.

"I don't blame you." I say to him as I gracefully get out of bed. "It's taken me years to master keeping my stoic façade on when I see the smile, but I still feel cold on the inside when I see it nonetheless."

I walk over to the door just as a light tapping noise emanates from the wooden entryway. Opening it to reveal the 4th Division third seat, I take my robes from his hands, utter a quick thank you, and shunpo over to the bathroom to get dressed. I emerge fully dressed minutes later.

"Where to master?" asks Senbonzakura as we walk into the hallway.

"Let's go to home to the Manor. I have a feeling that Captain Unohana will somehow find out one way or another if I disregarded her suggestion and went over to 6th Division instead of home." I answer with a sigh as I turn to the samurai.

"Agreed" says Senbonzakura as we shunpo away, stopping when we reach the gates of the Kuchiki Manor. I instantly feel the presence of Minata's spiritual pressure, going up and down at various intervals for a mysterious reason.

"Afternoon Lord Kuchiki" says the two guards as the doors open up.

"Afternoon . . . What is going on inside?" I ask as I move my stoic glare to face the guards.

"Lady Minata and Lady Mizukiri are training my lord. They've been at it for the past two hours." answers the guard to my left.

"I see." I say to myself as I walk inside, Senbonzakura right at my heels.

"Is it just me or does the nature around us seems to respond to Minata's spiritual pressure?" asks Senbonzakura as he looks at some nearby Sakura trees. The trees and plants around it bristle as soon as Minata's spiritual pressure rises and calms itself when the pressure goes down.

"I have noticed it too. Even the wind is reacting to her spiritual pressure." I say as we walk pass the main house to the training grounds.

"I understand. No wonder Lady Minata is known around Soul Society as the Lady of the Elements." I hear Senbonzakura say as he kicks a pebble out of his way. I let a small smirk grace my lips at Minata's title. Ever since her powers were recognized by her clan, the elders have given her the nickname the Lady of the Elements. At first, only the Fukudome Elders used it, but word has spread since then and the people of Soul Society have called her that ever since she joined the Gotei 13.

"Ah grandson, you are finally home from the hospital."

I break out of my thoughts to look up and see my grandfather looking at me with a stoic smile as he sits on a stone bench at the edge of the training grounds. Minata and Mizukiri stand in the middle of the grounds looking at us curiously, both of them slightly out of breath.

"I was discharged early." I tell him blankly as I walk over to his seat. "I would have gone to the barracks first, but I thought better of it."

"God thing you didn't. Unohana has her ways when it comes to finding out if her patients followed her orders or not." says grandfather as he turns to the grounds. "You're just in time to watch the match."

"Match?" I ask as I take a seat next to him. Minata and Mizukiri decide to ignore us as they begin to stretch out their limbs as we watch.

"Yes; Minata and Mizukiri are in an element duel. You'll understand once you see it." says Grandfather Ginrei as he clasps his hands over his lap. I don't have time to ask him another question as I suddenly feel the ground shake. Looking up, I see Mizukiri crouched on the ground with one palm on the grass, summoning vines from the earth to attack her master. Before the vines could reach Mina, she shunpos out of harm's way. Tracing her spiritual pressure, I turn to see Minata perched on top of a nearby roof. Her arched brows furrow in deep thought as her eyes start to glow red and fire appears in her hands. Taking the stance of a boxer, she shoots the fire right at her zanpakuto as if she was delivering a punch. Mizukiri matches the attack by summoning a bullet of water. The water hits the fire dead on in midair.

"Mizukiri is a part of Minata's spirit. They know each other's abilities move for move. There's practically no way for either of them to gain an edge against the other." says Senbonzakura as I watch as he crosses his arms from the corner of my eye.

"They both know that Senbonzakura, but when it comes to practicing the use of the elements in battle, those two are the only ones in the entire Soul Society that hold the ability to do so. They are forever each other's training partners, just like how you are with Byakuya here." explains my grandfather with a small smirk.

For the next hour, we watch as zanpakuto went head to head against zanpakuto master in a battle unlike any I've ever seen. Elements of all forms, from the common to the uncommon, were used in the onslaught and neither woman gave up an inch. I couldn't help but inwardly admire both women for the skill they displayed. As they fought, they moved like dancers across the field as they tried to gain the upper hand, neither of them giving an inch. After the dust cleared, the training ground was littered in debris as both women looking at each other, both out of breath.

"Excellent match Mizukiri." says Minata as she regains control of her breathing.

"Likewise master!" exclaims Mizukiri as she too begins to breathe evenly.

"Excellent battle ladies. It was a joy to watch." says grandfather as he gets up from his seat.

"Thank you!" the two say in unison as they walk over to us.

"I'll see you all a little later. I have to meet with some of the elders for tea." says Ginrei as he shunpoes from sight, leaving me and Minata with our zanpakuto.

"How are you feeling Byakuya?" asks Minata as she takes Ginrei's seat.

"Very well; thank you for asking, and thank you for speaking with Captain Unohana." I tell her in complete gratitude.

"Wouldn't want you to suffer from the 11th Division's yells from the next wing night and day now do we?" she asks me with a small smirk as our zanpakuto start to walk away from us.

"No; that would be unbearable." I say as I look out into the training field.

"Mizukiri and I left a real mess on this field didn't we?" she asks me as she shoots me a nervous glance.

"It's nothing the resident cleaning crew won't solve." I say rather stoically as I cross my arms. "That was an impressive display Minata."

"Thank you Byakuya. It's taken me years and I'm still learning." she tells me as she wipes a bead of sweat from her forehead.

"I could hardly tell from what I just seen. I never realized your powers that vast. That great." I tell her as I take her hand in my own.

"Why thank you. It's not every day you get complimented by a captain." she tells me with a small smirk as her purple eyes bore into mine.

"That is so true." I say in agreement as I lean my head closer to hers. Her head leans over to mine and we're only centimeters away from our third kiss when I feel a weak, but familiar presence appear behind us. We both turn to see Rukia and her zanpakuto Sode no Shirayuki standing a mere few feet away, both with surprised looks on their faces.

"We're we interrupting something?" Rukia asks us as a look of embarrassment creeps onto her face.

"You can say that." Minata says for an answer as she raises an eyebrow. "How has your day been so far Rukia?"

"Besides the fact that my nii-sama was this close to kissing his best friend, it's been pretty normal." answers Rukia as she awkwardly scratches the back of her neck. I let out a sigh as I turn back toward the training grounds.

"Sode no Shirayuki, can you please leave us? I need to have a talk with my little sister." I say as I move a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"Yes my lord." I hear Shirayuki say for an answer before I feel her presence disappear from the area. "Rukia, come over here."

Footsteps hit pavement as I see my sister walk into my line of sight, a worried expression evident on her face as she stands in between Minata and I.

"What would you like to speak to me about brother?" she asks me as her worry leaves her face in an instant, replaced by a tired mask.

"Rukia, a few days ago, I asked Lady Minata here if she would partake in a relationship with me. And she said yes." I tell her with my stoic mask in place, but inside, I'm still in slight hock that my best friend agreed to be my girlfriend basically. Rukia's eyes become wide in shock before returning to that of a neutral expression.

"Huh . . . so what Renji said was true. You two are an item. Didn't really believe him till now." mutters Rukia as she puts a hand under her chin, a smirk appearing on her face.

"Renji told you already?" asks Minata in slight disbelief.

"Well . . . he speculated that you two were an item when he said he saw you two kissing in nii-sama's hospital room. I thought he was just delirious from his wounds . . . well, until now." she tells us with a sigh of defeat.

"Who else did Abarai tell this too?" I ask, already mentally thinking about all the ways to punish him once I return to 6th Division.

"Well, he only told me at first, but then Lieutenant Matsumoto and Haineko overheard us and instantly shunpoed away before we can stop her. The next day, your supposed newfound relationship was partially on the cover of the gossip section of the Seireitei Communication along with photos of you two." answers Rukia as she crossed her arms. "Most of the lieutenants and some of the captains have asked me about it, but I kept silent since I didn't know much myself."

"Is this true Minata?" I ask Minata, expertly hiding the disbelief in my voice.

"Sadly it is," Minata tells me with a small sigh. "I was practically mobbed by some of the girls in the Shinigami Women's Association when I went to a café for tea. They were all asking me numerous questions about us, so I just left. I'm so going to hear about this during the next meeting. Our relationship isn't much of a secret these days Byakuya."

"I see. Note to self: teach my lieutenant in the art of privacy next time I see him." I say as I get up from my seat. "If you excuse me, I'll be going to my chambers. It's been a long day and I should rest."

"Of course nii-sama. I'll see you later then." and with that Rukia shunpoed away.

"I should be leaving too. After m three hour training session, I need a bath." says Minata as I see her stand up from the corner of my eye. "Good day Byakuya."

Before she can take a step away, I quickly move to kiss her on the cheek before she leaves.

"Good day Minata." I say with a smirk as I watch the blush grow across her face before shunpoing away.

**Please review!**


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